Silver Memories
by KiKat813
Summary: It's been 150 years since Ike left Tellius and the world has changed for the better. Or has it? Kaetar, the prince of Daein, begins to see strange visions, and decides to leave Daein in order to find answers. His quest for answers, however, takes him down a road that he never imagined.
1. Prologue

_Hey everyone! This is my first Fire Emblem story, and will also be my first multi-chapter story. There will be a fair amount of OCs since this takes place roughly 150 years after Radiant review, especially if anyone is starting to get a little too Mary Sueish.  
_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem, just my own characters.  
_

* * *

He was little, no more than six years old. His parents often let him outside, guarded by two soldiers of course, to play with other children or explore. The child prince could remember a lot from his adventures outside – the secret hiding places in the alleys of Nevassa, the animals, the smells... it was all very exciting to him. What the prince could remember the most was, however, a stranger that he had bumped into during on his adventures outside. He wore a cloak, so the prince could not see his face or his clothes. He was tall, the prince remembered, but other than that... there was nothing to identify him with.

The prince, named Kaetar, did not care, however. He was curious, and because he was curious, he did not understand the danger of being around a stranger, especially cloaked strangers. Whoever this person was, he didn't seem to mind that Katear just bumped into him. If he did, it wasn't apparent. He didn't say anything as Kaetar picked himself off the street and dusted himself off. "Are you by yourself?"

"For now! My friends are looking for me!" By friends, he met the guards that struggled to not only keep up with the six-year-old, but to find him as well.

The figure bent down so that he was at eye level with Kaetar. "I need you to do something for me then," he mumbled.

"Okay! What do I do?"

The stranger pulled out a necklace, and swung it over the prince's neck with one hand. "Take care of this for me, alright? Don't tell anyone you have it though... it's _our secret_ alright?"

"Okay! I won't tell anyone!" he answered as he tucked it under his shirt.

At the point, the two guards finally caught up to the young prince. His new friend vanishing from sight before the two guards found their prince. Kaetar laughed. His old 'friends' were so slow!

"Come on, you're going home right now!"

"But-"

"No buts!"

The guards grabbed both of his arms, lifted him off the ground, and carried him back towards the castle.


	2. Ten Years Later

"Augh!" Kaetar growled as Loiya's broom handle whacked him in the side. "How do you keep doing that! You're lucky I'm not bleeding!" the prince whined as he checked his side for wounds. It was sore and red, but he was otherwise fine. His dark-haired bodyguard laughed as he ran a hand through his messy hair. Loiya was seventeen, merely a year older than the person he guarded. With his soft brown eyes and round face (though his jaw line was beginning to sharpen), he was still called a child by veteran soldiers. If it wasn't for his height and lean muscle mass, he would actually have been mistaken for a child.

But Loiya still looked too young to fight, and that was the concern. He wasn't even of legal military age when he first picked up a lance, but his father trained him into a professional nonetheless. He wouldn't have landed this job, however, if it wasn't for the fact that he befriend a pesky little prince.

"You asked me to help you train, so take it like a sixteen-year-old prince or you'll be struck down before you can lift your sword," Loiya mumbled, striking the brunette in the side again. Kaetar shouted out in annoyance, but it soon turned in laughter. The prince was known for his inability to hold a grudge against anyone for long. Loiya looked away.

"You just like hitting me!" the other brunette sighed as he calmed himself down from his fit of laughter. Unlike his bodyguard, the prince had two locks of hair that framed his face, and another that was between his golden eyes. His hair was messy in the back and it reached his soldiers, but it seemed impossible to correct. He was shorter and thinner, but the childish appearance worked in his favour when it came to his father's dinner parties.

"Well, when I get the chance... I just can't pass it up!"

"Now that's just plain mean. C'mon, let's go get changed. I hate being in sweaty clothes..." Kaetar mumbled, promptly leaving the room. Loiya seem hesitant, but followed the prince out.

_ Thump!_

Kaetar didn't know why or how, but he was suddenly on the ground. Loiya's face swam into view, but the prince couldn't focus on it. Suddenly, someone around Loiya's face with messy blue and eyes melted in view.

_It was hot, and Kaetar realized he was suddenly in a desert. He tried to move, but he felt like heavy buckets of sand weighed his arms down, and his legs felt like they were made from stone. "Okay! I know something is wrong!" the blue haired man shouted, shaking him fiercely. Kaetar again didn't move, but his field of view looked up to meet him in the eyes. _

_"__I'm... I'm sorry... I was...thinking. What is it you wanted? __" Kaetar suddenly realized that he wasn't actually in a desert, no matter how real it felt. He was actually watching something that was either going to take place or already had taken place. The blue haired man turned away and looked__ into the desert. His eyes were fixed on the horizon for a fe__w moments, but he turned back to face Kaetar again, ready to move to a new subject. _

_ "Well, I was going to ask you for directions, but it's no longer necessary. It looks like we're being met." _

The vision melted away again to reveal Loiya's face looking down at him, brown eyes wide with worry. He must have still appeared to be dazed, as Loiya suddenly began tapping his fingers against his cheeks. Kaetar gasped in surprise and bolted up. "Kaetar! Are you alright? You were looking pretty dazed there."

"I'm fine!" Kaetar answered, pushing Loiya aside to make room to get up. His bodyguard didn't seem to believe him, though.

"Kaetar! People don't suddenly collapse for now reason! This could be something that could get worse! I'll send someone to alert a healer, and you're going to get checked out whether you like it or not!" the bodyguard shouted, picking the prince up by his legs and throwing him over his shoulder. Kaetar gasped in surprise, then beat his hand against his friend's back. Loiya seemed annoyed, but he didn't to let the prince go.

But the healer didn't find anything, much to Loiya's annoyance. Whatever occurred had passed, and there wasn't anything anyone could do with a healthy boy. Kaetar was quickly dismissed.

* * *

The rest of the day passed on without much excitement. Loiya managed to whacked him a couple of more times with the bristled side of the broom stick, Kaetar had to pop into a meeting with foreign leaders, and finished with a hot bath. The foreign leaders would stay for a couple of more days since it took a while to get to Daein, so he was sure to see them again before they left. They didn't come often, and when they did, his father didn't let Kaetar near the royals. It was his first time being formally introduced as the Prince of Daein, but he didn't get to attend for long. Apparently, his father just wanted to introduce the fact that his son would be attending the meetings soon.

He would make a point of speaking to the laguz royals later. They were far most interesting than the beorc royals, especially the Crimean King. There was just something about him that was odd, and Skrimir, the Gallian King, was clearly uncomfortable with sitting beside him. Kaetar found that kind of strange, because Gallia and Crimea were the countries that pioneered positive beorc and laguz relations. Why would Skrimir feel uncomfortable in his presence? At least there's another meeting tomorrow. Perhaps that would answer some of his questions, though he would have to make sure to dress the part. He didn't even have his circlet on, which confirmed his title as Prince.

Kaetar pushed these thoughts away and fell asleep with Loiya sleeping soundly on the bed opposite of his. It wasn't a princely arrangement, but his father insisted that his bodyguard sleep in the same room. If anyone tried anything silly, Loiya was there and he had a knife somewhere on his person, as it was more convenient than sleeping with a lance. It was going to be a long meeting tomorrow, so Kaetar made himself comfortable and closed his eyes.

After what felt like a few minutes, the prince bolted from his sleep. He was panting and quite sweaty too. He threw his night shirt off, hitting Loiya in the face but he didn't seem to notice immediately. The bodyguard must have been tired, and the prince's suspicions were confirmed when Loiya practically had to drag himself out of bed to see if the prince was alright. His movements were sluggish, which was fairly abnormal for any well trained bodyguard. Perhaps Loiya was coming down with something, but Kaetar doubted it. The other teen had to be a pretty good actor to pretend he's been fine all day and then completely fall apart at night.

"Was it just a dream?" Loiya asked, rubbing his eyes.

A blue cat laguz. He had another vision, but this time it was with a blue cat laguz.

"Yeah, but are you are fine?"

"Just a little migraine. It will pass on its own," the bodyguard answered, shaking his head. "I've had several last week, and most of the time I can tolerate a headache, but they seems to worsen at night."

Kaetar could see his chance for revenge, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to think about further. Loiya was just doing his job earlier when he brought him to the healer. Even if he did make Loiya see a healer, he decided it would be more of a favour than payback really. The dark circles under his eyes was a clear indicator that Loiya really did feel awful. He debated on rather to call a healer in, but he trusted Loiya's word. It will pass.

"Just take it easy tomorrow, would you? Stay in bed. I'll be in a meeting with my father for the majority of the day anyway. There will be bodyguards everywhere outside the door for the beorcs, so I'll be fine," Kaetar mumbled as he oped the windows to let in the cool breeze. Loiya cringed and returned to his bed, turning himself away from the moonlight that spilled in.

"Sorry..." the bodyguard mumbled as he through the blanket over his head. Kaetar settled down and closed his eyes.

* * *

_I decided to upload two chapters since the prologue was a little short. Please review. Suggests and critiques are always welcomed._


	3. A Crimean Civil War?

_I actually have future chapters written up, it's the case of going through and checking for errors. I had a helpful review from last time, so it made he go through and actually read this chapter out loud to find mistakes, so hopefully they're gone! _

* * *

Kaetar was sulking on the inside. His father would lecture him silly if his cape was wrinkled or his circlet wasn't on straight. He could barely remember the last time he wore the outfit, and he was surprised to find that the clothes still fit him. He felt like he was suffocating in them, but it was what the people wanted to see, and that's why he bothered with it. His outfit consisted of a black tunic made of silk with gold embroidery and beading, white leggings, a red cape and leather boots in addition to his gold circlet and bracelets. Loiya was asleep with his head under the pillow in order to block out the light that was seeping into the room. The prince couldn't tell if he was still ill, but he didn't want to wake the poor bodyguard when said bodyguard was supposed to take a break. He left the room and entered his father's meeting room.

The room was fairly empty, save for a fireplace and a large round table with ornate chairs around it. There was a portrait of some battle hanging over the fireplace, and windows lined the west wall, all paired up with velvet curtains. He came early, just as his father instructed. The king apparently want to tell him what to expect during the meeting, or at least that was what the prince was told. His father was looking through one of the windows when Kaetar walked in.

Age was not treating his father well. He was in his late thirties, and his blonde roots were already beginning to go grey. His face was already wrinkled, but it was still kind. Not to say that he was nice, but he looked like he was kind at least. "That outfit really makes you look like your mother."

"I've heard it before. Speaking of mother though, where is she?"

"In bed. I think she's come down with the stomach bug. She hasn't been able to keep her breakfast down, the poor woman. But enough of that. This will be your first meeting with the leaders of the other nations. I know you're nervous, especially considering that King Tibarn and King Skrimir appear to quite intimidating. I need you to just stay quiet for today."

Kaetar didn't know if he should be offended or not. Did his father not trust him to make political decisions himself?

"And before everyone gets here, where is Loiya? He's suppose to be here with you or outside the door," his father asked. Kaetar resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He never felt close to his father, and it was for reasons like that. He didn't like how his father treated Loiya, and he didn't like the tough love that received himself. Sure, he had to grow up and rule one day, but the prince felt that was all his father was doing. Kaetar could remember a time where he felt love from his father, and it wasn't like this.

"I gave him the day off. He fell ill."

"Still a child, is he? I knew I should have hired someone who could handle the workload," the king mumbled as he sat down in his chair, then motioned for his son to join him. Kaetar slowly eased into his chair. A few minutes later, Tibarn, King of the bird laguz arrived. Kaetar noted the scars that ran down his arms, and only because the scars stood out on his tan. The most impressive scar was the one that ran across his nose, which stretch for nearly the entire width of his face. He didn't look like a king in Kaetar's opinion. If Kaetar didn't know any better, he'd say Tibarn was a pirate.

Next was King Skrimir of Gallia. He was easily the widest and tallest man in the room, with Tibarn coming in on second. He wore tan robes with red trimmings and Kaetar could see a dark shirt under his robes that was used to cover whatever skin the robes failed to cover. Nothing fancy and nothing special, but Kaetar would never say that to his face. He sat beside Kaetar, making him gulp. His father was right, the laguz were rather intimating, at least when it came to physical appearance.

The empress was note worthy for being the only women present. If memory served him correctly, her name was Serena. She was in her mid twenties with long black hair that was pulled back into a pony tail. She wore a sleeveless dress with a shawl over her shoulders. Her grey eyes were cold and calculating. Kaetar thought that she was pretty, but she was just a little too old for him to be comfortable about. The prince also went out on a limp and guessed that she was only an empress because Begnion was desperate to hold on to tradition. The first born female would become the empress, backed by a senate. Kaetar couldn't help but to doubt that there was still need for an apostle, and that she could still hear the voice of a goddess. She was probably the descendant of Sanaki if kept their tradition, much like he was the descendant of Micaiah. Did that make them related if it turned out that Sanaki and Micaiah were sisters? He pushed the thought out his head, it hurt to think about.

After that was Kurthnaga, the Goldoan King. His dark green hair reached just passed his shoulders, but his bangs were neatly cut just above his eyebrows. He looked liked a kid, but the prince knew not to be deceived. The dragon laguz aged slowly, just like any other laguz, but it seemed that they aged even slower than the rest of them. According to his textbook, the last king died only a one hundred and fifty years ago, but he was supposedly one of the three Great Heroes. He had to be ancient before his death. His son would be no exception.

Finally, there was the King of Crimea, who sat opposite of Kaetar's father. He wasn't very old. He was in fact, just the opposite. He didn't look to be any older than Loiya, and had be to escorted by advisers to explain things for him. He was pale with icy blue eyes and had long green hair that was tied back into a high pony tail. The combination didn't really seem to make sense to Kaetar, but then again, his eyes were gold. Was he allowed to say anything about weird hair and eye colour combination? His name was Ramon II, though not many cared that he was the second Ramon. He looked angry, and Kaetar was sure he was always like that.

"Sorry everyone, this will be my last night in Daein. The two advisers that are currently handling Crimea's affairs have requested that I come home to handle some rebels. Apparently, we're on the verge of a civil war," the king mumbled, making Kaetar blink. How was he not worried about the possibility of a civil war? Was that not a serious threat to the well being of his country?

"It sounds serious, from what you've told us last night. Perhaps it would be best if you took your leave now. There is no reason why you must stay for the entire meeting," Serena mumbled.

"Hmmm, maybe," he frowned, then turned around to his advisers. They gave him a nod, and he he headed for the door. "Looks like I'm going home. See you later."

With that, he left just as soon as he arrived. Kaetar blinked again. Did a King really just leave with so little respect to his fellow leaders? If he was caught being so informal, he would never see the light of day again. Perhaps Ramon had no experience with being a king. After all, he was the second youngest in the room including himself, and he required advisers to make the choices for him. He need advisers to tell him that he should leave! Did he really know what was going on? Did he know the meaning of the words he said?

"I'm sorry, but what was that all about?" Kaetar asked, then covered his mouth. He wasn't supposed to say anything! He looked up to his father, who seemed to dismiss him.

"Crimea is suffering from... a religious divide," the lion answered.

"What Skrimir means is that the Crimean citizenry is divided into two. The majority of Crimea believes in Ike as the god who created the laguz and beorc rather than Ashunera. There are a handful, however, who believe otherwise, and make a point in doing so," Kurthnaga replied. "Crimea is... alone in this belief, but I have received more than one letter from his advisers asking if I would authorize the building of a church in Goldoa. I am sure that I am not the only receiving these letters." Silence followed with each leader in their own thoughts. Serena's eyes shifted towards her neighbour, Tibarn, before her eyes focused on Kaetar. Tibarn merely folded his arms in front his chest and faced the table in front of him. Skrimir shrugged.

"So that's why he was rushed out," Kaetar mumbled, earning himself a look from his father.

Skrimir chuckled, seemingly amused. "You are bold. You remind me of a strategist that worked with us laguz in the last war. He was not afraid to say anything!"

Suddenly, everything was blurry. Tibarn said something, but the words were lost to the brunette. All he could hear was his voice.

Kaetar shook his head to clear it, but it didn't work. "Father, excuse me, I need a drink." He didn't wait for permission to leave. He pushed his chair out and stood up. He didn't take three steps before the world spun, and he was aware of his face being on a cold surface.

_ Then suddenly, he was up again. It was dark out, but he - or rather someone else – entered a large tent, carrying a bundle of rolled up paper. Inside the tent was a table with several people sitting around it. Kaetar could recognize Skrimir, but he was definitely younger. He was sitting beside the blue cat laguz that he saw in his dream. He also recognized Tibarn who sat alone at the end of table opposite to the tent opening, and noted that neither of them really looked that different, though Tibarn had less scars. _

_ "I'm late. My apologies."_

_ "Ah! Here comes the great strategist! Don't be shy! Come sit next to me!" Skrimir exclaimed, patting the spot next to him. The stranger's eyes moved from the seat, then to an empty spot beside a large man and a woman with bright red hair. Kaetar knew he had seen the man from his last vision, though he grown since, but the woman was new._

_ "Not even if you begged me," the stranger mumbled, moving in to sit between the blue hair man and the woman. _

_ "Soren!" the woman exclaimed. She then looked towards Skrimir. "I'm so sorry. He's rude to everyone, especially strangers."_

_Skrimir pondered for a brief moment. "You still don't trust me?" he asked with a sigh. "Then I'll take the first steps. __I admit that we won the last battle thanks to your cleverness. I underestimated the wisdom of the beorc. As a general of Gallia, you have my thanks." He certainly looked proud of himself, but 'Soren' didn't seem to want any of it. _

_ "..You're welcome."_

The vision suddenly faded away. The prince opened his eyes and blinked. He was on the floor, flat on his back with his father looming over him. He didn't know how he was in the position he was, as he was sure that his cheek was on the floor when he fell. Was he moved? Either way, he was exhausted, as if the vision sapped his energy away. "Kaetar! Can you hear me?"

He almost couldn't. He turned his head to look up to his father. Slowly but surely, his vision cleared and he could make out his father's concerned face, a face Kaetar hadn't seen in a long time. He could also see Skrimir standing over him. He couldn't exactly tell, but the lion king also seemed concerned, or at least surprised to see that he collapsed. His father was holding one of his hands, and Kaetar felt all the dizziness subside. The brunette gripped the hand under his. "Ah! Kaetar! Are you back with us?" his father asked as he slowly pulled Kaetar to his feet and put two firm handles on his shoulders. The prince doubted that he would fall again.

"I think, I'm still a little dizzy."

"I think you should go lie down. I'll talk to you again before dinner, alright?"

"Alright."

Kaetar didn't need to be told twice to leave. As soon as the doors closed behind him, Kaetar took the circlet off his head and pulled the collar of his tunic out to get some more air. He found his way to his room and changed into a t-shirt and cotton pants before going to his desk. It was an outfit that he wore often when he knew that there was no one important around that would care. He also typically walked around the palace barefoot. He doubted that anyone would come into his room at this point in the day anyway, aside from a servant who would visit in case the prince needed anything. They always asked if they could be of use if there wasn't anything else to do. He took out a leather bound book from a bookshelf and it opened it the first page. It was meant to be a journal, but he didn't have a use for it. Until now.

He didn't know why he was getting visions, but he didn't want to forget any details. He was almost done writing out what he saw the day before after his training session (or rather, when Loiya whacked him silly with a broomstick) when Loiya stirred and groaned. Kaetar looked back to see that his friend woke up and was sitting up in his bed with a confused look on his face. He was shirtless, but Kaetar swore he had a shirt last night. The bodyguard rubbed his eyes. "Did I sleep in?"

"Yeah. I didn't want to wake you up," the prince answered as he continued to write. Loiya got up and approached the prince's desk.

"I thought the meeting would be longer."

"I left early. Father wanted me to take a nap."

Suddenly, the book disappeared from underneath his arms. He looked up to find that Loiya had somehow taken it away from him. At least he wasn't reading out of it. Instead Loiya was waving the book in front of Kaetar's face like it was a prize. "Then maybe you should take a nap," the bodyguard mumbled as he threw the book on bed he spent his entire break in and went to corner of the room for his armour. The prince always admired the armour that his bodyguard wore when he was in a serious mood. He didn't wear it all the time, but today, he looked excited to put it on. His armour was the type that commanded respect. It was black, like the typical Daein Halberdier armour (his father didn't like that Loiya was at this rank at his age, but Kaetar was the one who promoted him), but it was trimmed with red. The jumpsuit he wore underneath his armour was red as well, and he small decorative horns on his helmet. There was a jewel on each gauntlet, and he always had a red sash on his waist that bore the emblem of the Daein Royal Family before fanning out over his leg. It was the little things like sashes, jewels, and colours that made him different from the average soldier, and it was the little things that commanded respect from the common soldiers. It was also made Loiya a target on the battlefield, but he wouldn't be found on the battlefield unless Kaetar was on the battlefield.

"You need a nap too."

"I already had one," Loiya laughed. "I might as well do a little bit of work though. I feel a lot better." He looked a lot better too. He was full of colour, and the dark circles under his eyes that was present the night before were gone.

Kaetar gave up. Loiya was going to guard his door, and probably the book too. With a sigh, he set down his pen, closed the ink bottle, and hid under the blankets. He forgot how drained he was after the latest episode, and he felt himself drift away almost immediately. It was dreamless, or perhaps he just didn't remember the dream. That was until he was shaken awake. When he was completely awake, he realized that his father that so rudely woke him up. His father did say he would see him later, but Kaetar didn't feel as if he slept.

"Kaetar."

"Yes, father?"

"What happened back there? You've never fainted before. For goodness sakes, the last time you had a fever was four years ago! How could of that happened?" his father asked. He sounded worried at first, but the tone quickly changed. He sounded like he was angry at Kaetar for fainting, at least in the prince's opinion. The prince's eyes looked away from his father's. He wanted to hide under his blankets again just to avoid his father's gaze.

"Kaetar, look at me."

"I-I don't know what happened," the prince squeaked, keeping his eyes on the floor. He could feel his father relax beside him, which often meant that he was ready to drop the subject. Kaetar risked a glance at his father.

"The next meeting will be in two days. The other leaders wanted a chance to explore Daein, and after two days of meetings, they were itching for a break. I want you to rest up and get better so that you don't faint again. We'll try this again, okay, Kaetar?"

The prince nodded, and watched as Loiya stepped aside to let him out the door.

* * *

_I didn't want to use in-game dialogue, but I realized that I didn't remember what was being said so well, and I was rather off, so I had to use them. I was also unsure about having Tibarn and Skrimir as the kings because I truly didn't know how long a laguz would rule for, but I decided to keep them so that there was still familiar characters. _

_Kaetar won't have visions every chapter, I think that would be annoying, personally._


	4. To Crimea!

It was the day before the next meeting. Kaetar wasn't looking forward it at all, especially since he embarrassed himself at the last one. Besides, he doubted there was going to be anything of interest now that King Ramon was gone. It did surprise Kaetar that no one seemed to want anything to do with the fact that Crimea was on the verge of a civil war. He didn't expect anyone to send in help in the form of foot soldiers, but they could have said something to help him. They were at the meeting to offer advice and catch up on what affairs were going in their respective countries, and discuss what they could do help each other. Instead, they brushed him off. The prince retreated back into his room after a warm cup of tea, and read over his notes.

So far, all he knew was that he seemed to be having visions in Soren's perspective. Whoever he was. Kaetar didn't know what he looked like, only that he didn't feel noticeably shorter or taller during the visions, so he couldn't be that tall. There was a cat laguz named Ranulf, but Soren didn't really seem to like him. Kaetar decided he had to know more about Soren and the blue haired man (not the laguz). He would eventually have to find this Ranulf fellow if he wanted to hear some of the answers. He seemed to know both, and if he was cat, then there's a good change that's he was still alive. Skrimir was, after all.

* * *

Loiya met Kaetar in the training room late that day with two lances in hand. Weapon practice failed last time, but Kaetar figured out why; he was asking a lance wielder to help him with a sword. Why would he have any idea how to use a sword when he practiced with lances? Rather than go to a different instructor, he simply decided to change his choice of weapon. It wasn't like he was getting anywhere with the sword anyway.

"These are just practice lances. They were iron lances, but the tips are dulled so they won't puncture anything. These should help more than the broom sticks," Loiya explained as he passed one of the lances to Kaetar. The prince grabbed it with both hands, then curiously touched the tip to make sure Loiya wasn't lying. It was indeed dull.

"Can you lift it?" Loiya asked.

"Not really. It's heavy."

Loiya sighed. "Really? That's heavy? Kaetar, I'm worried for you. Maybe you should be a mage. You certainly have the psychical strength of one."

"No no no no no. I'll get stronger in time. Just teach me how to use it!" Kaetar mumbled as he jabbed his practice spear at Loiya, who stepped back and avoided it. The prince guessed that an attack with the practice lances was exactly like getting punched. The fist would never puncture anyone's skin, but it still hurt, still left bruises and still could do damage. Besides, if he couldn't avoid it, then what kind of bodyguard would he be? If he died quickly, then Kaetar with all of his fighting skills would follow quickly.

"Put it down and do some pushups first. If the weapon is too heavy, you opponent will pick up on that. Not only are heavy weapons difficult to wield accurately, but they also slow you down. That makes it harder for you to dodge or block an attack," Loiya answered as he watched Kaetar struggled to push himself up.

The prince plopped himself on the floor. "Did you have to do this?"

"I'm not tell you how I was trained! That's like asking a bird laguz how they can wear fit clothes over their wings! I had other things to do help with my strength," Loiya answered quietly. He bent down to pickup Kaetar's fallen lance and dropped it on the prince's stomach. "Want to try again?"

* * *

After dinner, Kaetar was a this desk again, reading a book about Daein's history that centred around Ashnard the Mad and his reign. Usually, Kaetar loved history, but he could not find what he was looking for, and a mysterious plague that killed most of the Daein population, including most the royal family, was not interesting to him at the moment. The prince sighed and turned a handful of pages over and skimmed through the next couple of pages. The name 'Ike' popped up in a couple of places, which he recognized to be the name that Kurthnaga mentioned as the God of the newest Crimean religion, but Ike wasn't written in a positive light. Rather, he was deemed to be on the who destroyed Daein. He slammed the book closed, which startled Loiya, who was on the floor polishing his armour.

"What's the matter?" Loiya asked, still on the floor with one of his bracers in hand.

"I can't find anything!" Kaetar shouted back, scanning his book shelf again. "I've read all of these books too..."

"How about the royal library?"

"That's where I found that book!" the prince huffed, pointing at the book on his desk.

"That library is huge! There has to be something in there that would help with... whatever." The other teen put the bracer on the floor and stood up to look at Kaetar closely. The prince watched as Loiya's eyes darted to his neck and hands fumbled at his chest as the bodyguard uncovered a teardrop shaped necklace. Kaetar made sure he kept the chain hidden, but he he obviously forgot to keep it out of sight today. "Where did you get this?"

"Nowhere!"

"Tell me!"

"Nowhere!" Kaetar answered. Loiya smirked and twisted the prince's arm back, making him cry out in pain. It was agonizing. "Fine! Fine! Someone gave it to me when I was younger! And before you ask, no, I don't know who he was! Or even if it was a he! I just tend to assume that all cloaked strangers are guys for some reason, but it sound like a he," he mumbled as his bodyguard let go of his arm.

"Why would you accept a gift from someone you don't even know?" Kaetar couldn't help but laugh as Loiya's face went from angry to confused.

"I don't know. I was a trusting child?" the prince answered when he calmed down. Loiya shook his head. "I've had it for about ten years I think. I wear it everyday."

"Never mind it, Kaetar. We got off subject. Now-" Kaetar rose his hand to cut Loiya off. Loiya immediately closed his mouth.

"Remember when father came into my room? That was because I fainted during the meeting," the prince kept his hand up, keeping his bodyguard quiet. "He wanted to know why, and I know why, but I didn't tell him that. I just didn't know how to tell him the truth; it's difficult to even tell you... but, um... here it goes."

Loiya didn't say anything. It was clear that he was waiting for Kaetar to finish what he had to say, and as long as his hand was up, he knew Loiya would never speak. His arm was sore but the silence was worth it. The bodyguard's face was still confused, but his brown eyes were focused on Kaetar.

"I've been getting visions. One came as a dream, but the other two appeared when I was awake, and when they were over, I was on the floor. I've been trying to find out more about the people I see because I can recognize some names and faces, but I can't find anything about anyone! I could ask, but the laguz kings are scary!" Kaetar threw his hand down and picked up the book off of his desk. He wanted to rip it apart, but he would find interest in the plague one day.

"Well, your books were written here in Daein, aren't they? If you think the laguz kings can help you, then you are interested in the last two wars, correct?" Loiya asked, moving to clean his polished armour off the floor.

"I suppose I am," Kaetar answered, putting the book into his bookshelf. If anyone else wanted it and couldn't find in the library, the entire palace knew that they could ask the prince for the book, assuming they could read of course. Many of their servants came from families that were desperate for money, so many of them didn't know how to read because the education was expensive. He even doubted Loiya knew how to read; if he did, he probably couldn't read well enough to understand everything in front of him.

"Well, it's not like I know too much of it, myself. One of ancestors was one of the four riders for Ashnard's father, or at least, that's what my father says. I'm not sure if it's true. Sorry, that was a little off-topic again," Loiya chuckled as he sat down on his bed. "But if you're looking for answers, maybe Daein isn't the place to find them. Our books probably won't mention much about the Crimeans because it's only now that we know any peace with them."

"Are you suggesting that I leave Daein?" Kaetar asked curiously.

"If you're desperate to know, you would leave at your accord eventually. I'll go with you, and not just because it's my job to do so, Kaetar," Loiya offered with a smile.

Kaetar pondered over the offer for a moment. The second meeting was tomorrow, and he could always ask a laguz king if they knew of Soren or Ranulf, but he could feel the six-year-old child that did nothing but explore creep back up. When was the last time he was on the other side of the castle gates? The excitement of being _anywhere_ but at the palace made his stomach twist in a way he never felt before; it was almost painful.

"Can I trust you to make arrangements to get out here before I have to wake up for the meeting?" the prince asked as he found a blank piece of paper and opened his ink bottle. "I'm going to write a letter to my parents."

"I have an idea. You can count on me," the bodyguard answered as he ran out the door.

* * *

_Dear Mother and Father._

_I have questions, VERY personal questions that I can't talk to anyone else about, and I'm leaving Daein to get the answers. Don't worry about me, Loiya is coming as well. I'll come back once I figured out everything. _

_Love,  
Kaetar_

"Do you think that's okay?" the prince asked as he read his letter out loud for the second time. Loiya was busy packing essentials into two bags that they could carry with them. They were full with basic provisions, a change of clothes for both of them, a tent, some compacted bed rolls, Kaetar's notebook (along with writing utensils) and vulnenaries. There were other things, but Loiya stashed those away too quickly for him to know what they were. Kaetar was also bringing along a healthy portion of gold to take care of food and sleeping situations once they hit the city. All Louya did was nod, and the prince felt that he didn't care for the letter. He would of nodded no matter what it said. Kaetar set the letter down on his desk and looked out the window. Loiya threw one of the bags to Kaetar, who slipped it over his shoulder while his bodyguard approached the window. With the bag at his waist, he leaned out and whistled into the night sky.

Suddenly, there were two wyverns at their window. "This was your way out?" Kaetar asked, slowly turning to face his bodyguard, who was grinning form ear to ear. The prince found the smile to be scary. It was definitely not typical of Loiya.

"Yup! They'll take us as far as Delbray, then we're on our own."

"If you two want to get out, NOW is the time to do it," one the riders mumbled from behind his helmet, or at least, Kaetar thought he was talking to a he. Both riders looked impatient at best, and Kaetar couldn't blame him. Even if leaving was his own choice, the two riders would get in trouble if they were discovered.

"You first, Kaetar."

Kaetar gulped as the rider in armour grabbed his hand and helped him onto the second half of the saddle. The prince tightly wrapped his arms around the rider, and the rider directed the wyvern away to make room for Loiya to board the other. In a couple of minutes, both wyverns were high in the sky. "It should only take us a couple of hours to reach Delbray. Travel is faster by air, after all," Kaetar's rider explained. "But tell us, what made your highness decide to leave Daein? Have you even told Loiya the details?"

"I think he prefers to keep it private," the bodyguard answered.

"Hm. Whatever. I trust you two, and you two can trust us as well."

"That's why I asked you two!" Loiya chuckled, his grin still present.

* * *

Delbray was nicer than he expected. The fields were lush and green, and the grass under his feet was the softest he ever experienced. He spent quite a bit of time laying down in the grass as the wyverns took off, and only got up because Loiya was leaving without him. He had no idea what was going on in Loiya's mind, but Kaetar didn't ask. He trusted Loiya. "Your father will probably send someone to go look for us and bring us home. We should travel by night and rest in the day."

"And what if you get another headache? What then? The light bothers you when you have a headache! Don't think I didn't notice that one night when I opened the window."

"...You wouldn't happen to know how to use a staff would you?"

"Nope," Kaetar answered with a shrug. He knew some of the ancient language, but he had no magical talent. He could read a tome, but where would it get him? It wasn't something you could learn on your own, and Loiya couldn't help him, considering that he was a physical soldier. The issue of reading popped up in his mind as well. "You just have to grin and bear, won't you?"

"Seems that way," he sighed.

"When we get to a busy village, then we could probably find a healer. If it doesn't get resolved, father might fire you," Kaetar looked up to Loiya and bit his lips. He never saw such fear on Loiya's face before. He was about to apologize, but the fear vanished and his face relaxed.

"I'll get it checked out, but there's not much to be done if I don't have a headache," the bodyguard shrugged and focused on the path. Kaetar could tell that he wanted to make fast progress, and for good reason too. Besides, whoever his father sent would not travel by night. He remembered Loiya mentioning that the King was not willing to take the risks of moving people around at night. Apparently, there was an accident the last time units moved around at night. He felt safe.

* * *

___Sorry for the slow update. I have a job now, so it took me a bit of time to comb through this chapter for errors._ Anyway, please read and review. 


	5. The Laguz Duo

"Are you sure no one will recognize me? I am royalty." Kaetar whispered as he took a sip of water. He and Loiya were sitting together in a popular restaurant, so Kaetar kept his voice low. Though they were now accustomed to a night schedule, both of them were up in broad daylight, unable to fall asleep. Loiya sat across from him, drinking some sort of juice from a wild berry. Whatever it was, it was deep purple in colour. It was dark out, so the restaurant was busier than he imagined it would be.

"No one aside Ramon and his advisers himself would recognize you. You've never left Nevassa before. Besides, if you would think someone would have noticed you if you were famous. It's been a week." Loiya mumbled just as quietly, then turned his attention to a table nearby. Kaetar immediately saw what it was that caught Loiya's attention, and he resisted the urge to point it out.

At said table were two laguz, a cat and a raven. Cat laguz were not all that uncommon in Crimea, Kaetar learned, but he was surprised to see the raven there. The raven's blue eyes wandered to meet Kaetar's eyes, making shy away. "Loiya! I think they heard everything!" he shouted in a whisper. The raven smirked while the cat rolled her eyes.

"We most certainly did, little princey!" the raven laughed, taking a sip out of his cup. "A little birdy did tell us that the Daein prince ran off, but you're lucky that not why we're here," the raven mumbled as he stood up and approached their table. His black hair was parted over his right eye, leaving one lock of hair to frame the right side of his face and another lock of hair whip over his left eye. It was long, and he tied into a high ponytail that curled at the bottom. He wore a dark blue jacket that resembled a ship captains, which could be button up (but the raven kept it open) and flared up slightly at the waist and travelled to his knees. It was trimmed with black. Underneath the jacket, he wore a relatively simple tunic that was lighter in colour, which the raven paired with a leather brown belt that had a silver bucket. He wore baggy white pants and leather brown boots. His wings were just as black as his hair, and were folded to give him room to walk around.

The female cat laguz didn't care for fashion nearly as much. Her skin was tanned, and her brown hair was also tied back into a ponytail that looked like it swirled into itself, and she had curly hair that framed her face. Her ears and tails were similar in colour She wore a sleeveless pink jumpsuit with a vertical white strip that ran down the middle with draw strings that went from the top to her waist. She wore a blue sash around her waist, and knee-high leather boots. She had brown markings that ran from her forehead to the bridge of her nose, and two more on her cheeks that faced each other. She muscular, Kaetar noted. Although she wasn't flat chested, she had no curves whatsoever.

"Darius, we're not here to speak to him. Your ears are not supposed to be tuned towards pointless gossip!" the female hissed.

"Let's hear him out first, Ema. I'm dying to know why _you're_ here!" Darius laughed again. "But I bet you'd prefer somewhere more... private?"

"We have to get going, but we can tell you on the road," the prince answered.

"Kaetar! You just can let random laguz come along with us!" Loiya shouted, making everyone in the restaurant turn towards them. Kaetar shrunk back into his chair and motioned for Loiya to be quiet.

"Why not? We're going to Gallia aren't we? You would think that a cat laguz would know where she was going in Gallia," the prince answered as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He had to admit, he enjoyed the chance to do things that he wouldn't be able to get away with at home.

"Yeah, but-"

"We can make this nasty, _human_!" Darius answered. "If it makes you feel better, we'll take you to meet someone. He will explain what we're up to, and then you can tell us what you're up to. I think that's a good way of establishing mutual trust. I'm looking at you when I say this," the raven mumbled, jerking a finger towards Loiya. The bodyguard looked down at the table.

"I don't like it, but it's bothering me that there are two laguz in a restaurant listening to every conversation that everyone's having." Loiya cross his arms in front of his chest defiantly. He would have gone anyway, Kaetar knew, because he was going, but the bodyguard just needed to be assured and to make a point of disliking the two new laguz.

* * *

The laguz took the two teens on a two day journey to Melior, travelling only by night on Loiya's terms, but it was no problem for laguz with their heightened senses. As long as there was a sliver of light, day or night didn't seem to bother Ema, and she could fall asleep anywhere. At some point in the travel, Loiya warmed up to Ema and challenged her to a spar with their fists (after Loiya found out that he forgot to bring a weapon), but for whatever reason, refused to talk to Darius unless it was necessary. The raven never commented on the subject.

Melior was awe-inspiring. It was bustling with beorc and laguz alike, and tall but well mannered buildings towered over the four, and desperate merchants line the streets. Kaetar heard Loiya contemplating the idea of buying himself a lance if the price was right. The brick road looked to be stained from the sunlight, and the sunlight made the prince feel a little giddy. Ema grabbed his wrist and began dragging to him to one of the many buildings. They passed an impressively tall white chapel, where stained glass portrayed a tale of blue haired man make his way through an adventure while swinging a golden sword. One window showed the figure standing over a mass of men in black armour, while another window showed him leading a group of laguz, and finally, the last window he could see the man with his arms stretched out, almost as if he was blessing the town. They made Kaetar feel uncomfortable in the least. Judging by the look of disgust on Loiya's face after the first window, the prince could tell that the dark-haired teen was feeling more or the less the same.

Once passed the chapel, they took a turn into a dark alley, where the buildings were more dilapidated and ominous looking then building on the main streets. Ema rapped her fist on one of these door three times in an unfamiliar tune, and the door opened to show a figure dressed in a black tunic (or the might have been robes, but he must have cut them short) with long sleeves, white leggings, and leather boots. He had a green, tattered headband around his head, and long dark hair that was tied into a loose ponytail. The way his left arm hung limp at his side seemed vaguely familiar, but Kaetar just couldn't put his finger on it. "Ema," the man mumbled.

"Syrin, this Kaetar, the prince of Daein. He's interested in learning about your - our operation."

"So? Just because he's here doesn't mean that I have to tell him anything."

"Have we met before?" Kaetar asked. The question was totally random, that Kaetar knew. Syrin was hesitant. Suddenly, he moved away from the door, allowing the four to enter the building. It was dark; only the fireplace provided a source of light. There was a bedroll, a table, and a couple of chairs. It was obvious that Syrin lived here, but to everyone else, it looked to be just a meeting place. That had to mean he was the leader.

Ema and Darius sat down, and Loiya and Kaetar followed suit. Syrin sat on his bedroll.

"I take it you've noticed the chapel," Syrin started, his back turned towards them. "King Ramon II, or perhaps other members of the court, have decided to take their own interpretations of history and distorted it. By doing so, they've not only replaced the goddess in their minds, but they decided to force this pitiful belief down the throats of the public."

"So Ike's a person right?" Kaetar asked as he dug for his notebook from his bag.

There was a light growl coming from Syrin's direction. He turned his head to face them for a moment before turning away from them. "He was truly one of a kind. No one could replace a man who earned the trust and respect of laguz so easily. The simple truth, however, is that he was a beorc. He was born a beorc, and died a beorc. He isn't a god, and never will be."

"So why does it matter what people believe in?" Loiya asked, tipping his chair back into the wall. "People will believe what they want to believe, even if it's wrong! It's not harming anyone."

"But it is. That's why there are rebels, because there are people who don't agree with how the religion is taking over their lives. People who disagree disappear. You haven't been in Crimea long enough to see it, but people are getting hurt," Ema cut in.

"Syrin has personal reasons though. He could honestly care less about who gets hurt in the end," the raven continued with a shrug. The leader didn't comment; nothing to defend himself or nothing to confirm the accusations.

"That means you're the rebels that forced King Ramon to go home," Kaetar mumbled to himself. The laguz gave a weird look.

"You mean that the king returned home?" Darius asked.

"Yes, he left the day before I left. We've been travelling for more than a week, so he should be home now." Kaetar blinked. It was not necessarily the public's business to know why he returned or when, but they would probably see him sometime on his way back, especially in Melior.

"We would have known if he returned. As far as we know, he's still in Daein." Darius shook his head.

"I was at the meeting. He went home!"

"We're not accusing you of lying! There's no need to get defensive," the cat hissed back. Kaetar bit his lips and looked towards Syrin.

"The King would be back at the throne by now if he did leave the meeting early. If he hasn't returned yet, it could mean that he was intercepted and captured, but we would have heard something about that as well. It is a strange situation," Syrin answered. "If his return isn't obvious in the next coming week, it would be safe to assume that the religion here is not entirely his fault. King Ramon might have taken a longer route to avoid the public eye until he's returned safely."

"You think so, Syrin? I don't think any of the rebels would have gone for him." Darius stretched his wings and yawned. "There's something about your hideout that makes me tired."

"You can't entertain yourself, that's why. You should just leave anyhow. I wish to speak to Kaetar alone."

Kaetar blinked, then nodded. He knew what Syrin wanted to talk about. The prince knew that he recognized the man from somewhere, and his suspicions were confirmed when he began talking. Syrin was the man who gave the necklace all of those years ago. He never thought he would see him again, but there he was! Loiya, Ema and Darius left the building without question, though Loiya did ask for some gold for a lance. At least shopping gave the man something to do while he was here with Syrin.

"Do you still have it?" Syrin asked, cutting straight to the point. There was no beating around the bush with him.

"Yes." Kaetar dug his necklace out for Syrin to see. The man didn't investigate.

"You have a tool. I doubt you've come to appreciate its full value; not many would." For a moment, Kaetar could see the leader's face relax as he stared at the necklace. Was he attached to it? The prince bit his lips, but nodded. He could understand where Syrin was coming from, but he didn't understand what tool he had. What exactly did the necklace do?

"I'm sorry, I don't understand. What does it do?" Kaetar asked, moving the tear drop in his hands.

"It allows you to see the memories of the original owner. History becomes distorted every time someone tells their children in their own 'special' way. The true meaning of the events and the reasons why they occurred will all but become lost to Crimea if everybody decided to cope and simply follow the 'teachings of Ike'. The original owner probably only predicted that history would be distorted. It's sickening either way," Syrin hissed.

Kaetar missed the relaxed face, but he had a feeling that a grumpy face just suited the other man more. "It's not fair to the real Ike. That's why I'm organizing a group of rebels that will actually do what it is that I tell them to do. I honestly don't care about people disappearing; it's no problem of mine. But when they began changing who Ike was, it became very personal."

Kaetar listened, but he was too occupied to reply back. That solved one mystery. What he was seeing weren't actually visions, but rather memories. They were Soren's memories, and that's why he could never see why Soren actually looked like. At least not yet. He briefly hoped that Soren spent some time in front of a river.

"Why did you give it me then? You could use the information to help Ike's image." Kaetar tucked the necklace back into his shirt, giving Syrin his undivided attention.

"The original owner wanted the necklace to go to a young child. He wanted it to go someone who cared enough, and that would be someone who grew up in the troubled world. If you're truly the prince of Daein though, your life is probably just peachy." Kaetar huffed. Yes he was a prince and didn't have to worry about money, but that was all that was carefree. "I thought you fit the requirements, and I knew that as long as you had the necklace, you would get curious enough to seek out the answers. It's rather predictable." Syrin's head fell a little.

"Can you tell me why I only get to see the vis-memories now? I've had this necklace for ten years!"

"You weren't listening to me, were you?"

"I was! I just have a lot of questions, and I never thought I'd meet the person who gave it to me again!" Kaetar looked down at the ground again. Syrin didn't seem to react.

"Hm. I could help you, but only if you do whatever I say in return." The leader jerked his head to the side, revealing a small smirk on his lips. Kaetar growled.

"You did that on purpose! You gave just enough information to lure me in, then you drop the giant boulder!" the prince exclaimed angrily. He had never been played like that before. In fact, it seemed that royalty did most of the playing. He knew Syrin wasn't royalty, but he was very intelligent, and that was evident after a couple of minutes of conversation. Syrin took his seat in one of the chairs and put his feet up. Kaetar couldn't tell if he was enjoying it, but he did seem more relaxed.

"Didn't you expect it, prince? We are here to succeed, and to do that, we must be better than someone else. We don't care who we hurt in the end, just as long as we're satisfied with our placement in the world. I don't believe in doing something for no reason, Kaetar. I'm just as vile as everyone else here, and because that, I'll only help you if I get something out of it; otherwise, it's not worth my time and energy," Syrin muttered, a little too causally for his Kaetar's taste.

Kaetar had to think about it. His father wouldn't approve of meddling in the affairs of other countries, but at the same time, he wanted the answers that Syrin could offer. He would say he wanted to help, but he didn't see anyone in danger as of yet, so rebelling would make him look like a criminal. If he turned Syrin down, there was no guarantee that he could find him again, or if all the answers he wanted could be found. He was planning on going to Gallia to find Ranulf, but going to a country to find one cat laguz was beginning to sound to tricky.

Something in his gut just screamed to say yes. If there was anything he knew, it was going with his gut.

"What do you want me to do?"

* * *

_That's all for now! I honestly don't like "then you drop the giant boulder" so if anyone has suggestions, I'm up for it. Just not "bombshell" because I doubt that would make sense for the time period. _

_As always, please review! I may not respond all the time, but I do read them and take them into consideration. They're not a waste of time!_


	6. Burn!

_Ah! Sorry for the lack of updates. I do like to make sure that I have another chapter written before I upload a new one, but I was busy, and it took a while for me to be happen with this chapter! _

_Enjoy!_

* * *

The laguz and Loiya returned, the latter with a brand new steel lance and two daggers, one which he gave to Kaetar. The two then left for the inn for another night – Syrin just didn't have the room for all four them in his home. It was the next morning when prince and bodyguard returned to ominous alleys of Melior.

Syrin was thinking. Kaetar could tell by the silence that his demeanour demanded, and his downcast eyes that seemed to be glued to the table. "If we do anything small, we would simply be dismissed. The fact of the matter is, there aren't enough of us for any form of peaceful protesting to be taken seriously. We need something to do big, and something that instills fear into the members of that church at the same time..." he mumbled, as Ema and Darius stood close by.

Something big, something that five can manage, but something that was scary. It just wasn't coming to him.

"I've got it." A small smirk appeared on Syrin's face, and his eyes burned with a new flare. "Fire. Fire is inherently freighting and not difficult for a group our size to do."

"You want us to do what?" Kaetar barley managed to keep his voice down. Poor Loiya looked thoroughly confused while the laguz simply nodded like it was just another day, and as far Kaetar could tell, it probably wasn't the first time Syrin had ask them to do something strange. Now that Kaetar thought about it, it was the life of a rebel, and it was the life that he just stepped into. At least he had Loiya with him, but he was going to need an explanation, because Loiya was suddenly a rebel and had no idea of it until he returned.

"We need to burn down the chapel here," Syrin responded. "The Melior chapel is the biggest and busiest for obvious reasons. This will be the biggest blow to the church that we can do at this point. It's up to you if you want to do it, Kaetar, I'm not the one losing if you back out." Kaetar couldn't believe that he was being taunted like that.

"Fine! But wouldn't there be people there all the time?"

Syrin sighed. "There is a shed attached to the back of the chapel. This is where they store extra books as there is little room in the church for them, though I can't see why they just can't leave them at the pews. If Darius drops a torch from above, it should get hot enough to set the rest of the building on fire. Anyone inside would escape if they knew any better." Syrin was still sitting in his chair, this time leaving Darius to stretch his wings out on the bed roll, though he was facing the fire place instead of to the group. Kaetar would have done the same if he was had wings; they looked flammable.

And speaking of flames...

"Let's say the chapel does go up in flames... wouldn't the fire spread to the buildings beside it? I don't want anyone else to get hurt," Kaetar whispered the last part, but the more he thought about the fire, the more uncomfortable and nervous he became about the entire plan. He couldn't bring himself to know that he had a part in destroying livelihoods; it had to be hard to recover from a fire and it wasn't something that wished others to go through. On the other hand, Syrin was tempting him with his part of the deal, and Kaetar felt like he was obligated to take part. He was emotionally torn in half.

"So what? Would you rather everyone suffer because a few people might get hurt? If there are two thousand people that will be affected be any decision you make, and a quarter of those people will be negatively affected, are you going to not make a decision? Wake up, Kaetar, you will never make everyone happy. The world doesn't have time for your naivete, and if you can't handle that, then you shouldn't ever be a king. If a few houses burn down, than that's just what happens," Syrin answered through gritted teeth.

Kaetar tried his best to make sure that he didn't have a stupid look on his face. He didn't want to show any weakness, especially to someone who was questioning his placement in the world. He wasn't aware that being a king also meant that he would have to cold-hearted, and he couldn't help but to be legitimately hurt by Syrin's words. He would have handled a physical punch better than the words.

"I refuse to do anything until night time anyway, Princey, so go outside, think it over, than come back, okay? Don't mind Syrin; he's just a jerk," the raven chimed in. Fresh air suddenly seemed appealing, and Kaetar was out the door before Loiya could react. He broke out into a run, not only to put distance between him and Syrin, but there was one place in Melior that suddenly popped out his mind – the library. It wasn't the fresh air that he hoped for, but the soft chairs and the sight of books would help him relax and thinking about everything that Syrin said.

He reached the library after asking several people for directions, and small break when he was convinced that he couldn't take another step. The library took him by surprise; he was expecting to see shelves full of books, but they were nearly empty. There were a couple of books scattered around the library, whether they were abandoned on a chair or alone in the shelf. All of that only told him one thing; there was something horribly wrong in Melior. Even the smallest library in Daein had more books and was better maintained; in fact, the miniature library in his room had more books. Kaetar gulped and scanned the shelves. There was nothing about the last two major wars and nothing about laguz – which wasn't strange in Daein, but it was odd in a country that pioneered positive laguz-beorc relationships.

Why were all the books gone?

"It's been awhile since someone came here," a voice from behind muttered. Kaetar turned around to find an older man with greying hair, and hunched over his cane.

"Well, I'm from Daein, so I thought I would just check the place out, but..." the prince trailed off.

"You're disappointed in the selection. I am too, to be quite honest. I don't even have the heart to clean it up anymore."

"So you're the librarian," Kaetar concluded. "Was it always like this?"

"No... when the church sprang up in Melior a couple of months ago, soldiers took away all the books that they claimed to be contraband. Our library was full history books, most people like to do research, and I can't fathom what could be so illegal about them," the librarian answered in a sad voice. He obviously loved the library, and Kaeter could sympathize.

"Where are they all at now?" Not that Kaetar expected that he knew, but it was still worth a try. Besides, it was in his nature to ask a lot of questions, and he never stopped until he was satisfied with all the answers he got or if the person on the other side became fed up with him.

"At the castle, I believe. That's direction where the soldiers were heading," he answered. Kaetar picked up on the books off of the chair and placed it on the shelf. There wasn't much else he could do to help the librarian or the library, as it wouldn't help to fill the shelves with banned books, but he could help clean up. The librarian smiled. "Thank you... I've never met someone so young who cared about the books this much."

"I'm from Daein nobility... I have a different appreciation for books because I can sit down and enjoy them, but I know that not everyone has the same chance," the prince answered. He wasn't exactly lying, nobility wouldn't much a step down for him at his point in life, but he couldn't just admit that he was the heir to the Daein throne either. He could already hear Loiya's voice in his head, even though he hadn't said anything about it as of yet. After the books were put back on the shelf, though they lacked any order, Kaetar left and returned to Syrin's home. He didn't know the way exactly, but he knew it was near the chapel, and it was hard not to see it from a distance.

* * *

Loiya greeted him with open arms, mumbling incoherently as he pulled Kaetar back into Syrin's home. The leader was sitting in front of his fireplace, poking a stick into the flames to reignite the fire with new life. Kaetar didn't find it particularly cold, and it was still light out, but he still found the fire to be oddly soothing. It made a plain more more comfort, that was sure. Ema was sitting in front of the fire, clearly quite comfortable.

"Made up your mind yet?" Loiya asked in a low whisper. He was leaning against the table, but he offered Kaetar one of the seats. He took it. Kaetar opened his mouth to answer, but realized he had nothing to say on the matter. He was at the library to clear his mind, but he got involved in something else instead. Loiya just shook his head, and quickly took the seat beside Kaerar. "You have that thinking look on your face. Do you want to talk?"

How did Loiya always know? He couldn't ask for a better person to support him; Loiya was always with him, whether it was defending him from a nasty bug or being the one that he could talk to. If he was older, he would be the father that he lost, but since he was only a year older, then that made him the best friend – well, the only friend, really, but he hoped to change that.

"I went to the library in Melior," Kaetar began. Loiya didn't say anything, and neither did Syrin, but Kaetar just knew that he was listening; there was now way that he wasn't. "And I have more books in my room than in the entire library. Most of them were banned."

Syrin was smirking. "The only reason why anyone would ban a mass amount of books is because the written words go against what they preach. If I was to rewrite history, the books would be the first thing to disappear. Why would anyone believe me when every book out there says the opposite?"

It was a good point, Kaetar had to admit. Was this how history was being distorted? He imagined for just a second about what his life would be like without his own personal library. The books were the reason why he started staying inside at the castle when his father restricted him to the castle gardens. He wouldn't care if he never touched a book, but if all of his books were suddenly gone, now that he loved reading, he would be devastated. He would one day be the librarian the lacked the heart to maintain the books that remained.

"You like books, then, don't you? If you bothered to go the library, I mean," Ema murmured from her spot near the fireplace. From the tone of her voice, Kaetar could tell that books and Ema didn't necessarily get along. Was she just too good for books? Kaetar frowned at her comment, making Ema's ears drop a little. "Look, I didn't mean to offend you, alright? It's just that if you're interested in kind of... stuff, then you should seek to protect it. That's what the rebellion is about; protecting what's important to the beroc and the laguz as a whole."

"I didn't expect that out of you. A little rough around the edge with your pausing and what not, but it was still a nice speech for a tough kitty like you," the raven teased.

"Shut up, you!"

"And there it goes," Darius sighed.

"I'm just not quite sure still. I'd feel better if I wasn't directly involved," Kaetar muttered to Loiya. Syrin's turned his head towards them, looking as if he didn't know rather to be angry or upset in Kaetar's new decision.

"Fine. It's useless if you're not willing, but it will happen whether you approve of the action or not," Syrin muttered. "Darius, if you would come with me."

Darius blinked, then shrugged as he followed Syrin out of the house. Kaetar knew what was going to happen now; Darius and Syrin were going to set the chapel on fire by themselves, rather Kaetar liked it or not.

"Should we get it out of here, Loiya?" Kaetar asked, suddenly looking anxiously out the window for any sign of Darius or Syrin. He wasn't interested in getting in trouble for something he didn't want to be involved in in the first place. But then again, why would anyone ever suspect him in the first place?

"Nah, we'll leave if we're in danger. We're across from the road, so I think we'll be safe," Loiya shrugged, peaking out the same window. It was almost dark out, so if Syrin and the raven were going to move, they were going to have to move soon if they wanted to use the cover of the night sky. "I wonder what they have planned."

"Syrin's smart, so it's probably something simple yet effective. It's not hard to set a fire."

"Right," Loiya answered slowly, moving away from the window. Kaetar followed him quickly.

"Where are you going?" Kaetar asked Loiya as he retreated to the front of the fireplace and laid down on his side with a yawn. "You're going to sleep?"

"We can't do anything else can we? Might as well rest a little!"

Kaetar bit his lips. He had a bad feeling about staying, but somehow, he just couldn't turn away and go home, no matter where the rebels would take him. The prince eased the thought to the back of his mind and sat down in one of the chairs that Syrin had around the table, and laid his head down on his arms.

* * *

Then he was shaken awake by Ema. He was groggy, and he felt worse waking up than he did falling asleep, and he wasn't sure if he was imagining it, but the smell of smoke found his way into his nose. Apparently, he wasn't awake enough, because Ema shook him again, more furiously this time than the last. "I'm awake!" he shouted suddenly, making Ema step back. "What's going on?"

"Apparently they made their move. Soldiers are asking everyone living close to the chapel to move, so we better go if we want to stay on their good side," the cat explained, making Kaetar stifle a laugh; they were tyring to be on their good side now? Maybe he wasn't quite awake yet. Loiya growled and grabbed the prince's wrist with one hand, and had his lance pointed down towards the ground in the other. He was as awake as ever, which was something that Kaetar did admire about him. It was like he had separate personalities; there was the serious side of him that in this moment, kept him wide awake, and then there was the Loiya who would kick his feet up while Kaetar enjoyed a book. As much as he liked 'relaxed' Loiya, he could understand that 'serious' Loiya was what his dad was looking for when the two were together in the castle.

"Do we have somewhere to meet up?" Kaetar asked as Loiya half-dragged him into the open. It was dark out, but he could see the bright flames sneaking up on the side of the chapel, threatening to not only engulf the chapel, but to swallow up another shack-like house behind it. He couldn't see that house very well, and hoped that was because it was far enough from the chapel to escape the flames, but he knew not to get his hopes up. Fire, after all, was unpredictable.

"Nope," Ema answered slowly. Even in the dark, Kaetar could see her beginning to panic, though he didn't know if it was from the fire or the fact that their little group was separated.

"Let's just go find an inn for now, on the other side of Melior if possible. Maybe they'll meet up with us there," Loiya muttered quietly. Kaetar could barely hear him over the shouting and gasping of the crowd that was beginning to gather, despite the soldiers' efforts to keep them away from the burning chapel. Kaetar was sure that he would be with them if it wasn't for the other two dragging him away. The fire was both terrifying and curious at the same time.

Suddenly, the fire hissed, and Kaetar looked up to find that the fire had somehow made it inside the temple. He could see the flames licking up from behind the portraits of Ike, like a sneak attack from behind that would surely be the end of the him. It was surreal. The soldiers were shouting orders to push the crowd back, but they were failing to make anyone leave.

Kaetar looked away as Loiya led him, which was he beginning to become thankful for, when something flashed in front of his eyes. It wasn't the fire, because that was behind him, so it had to be another vision. It was weird how they always seemed to come to him in different ways; they've come to him in dreams, or he would feel faint and dizzy at first, but the vision just rushed up to meet him now. It was flashing in front of him, whether he wanted to see or not.

_He suddenly saw more fire in front him, but it wasn't any of the buildings. They were wooden crates. Loiya was no longer there holding his hand, and he knew that even he was no longer there in person, as he couldn't feel his own body. A horse whipped past, and he could hear a lot of shouting as Soren approached an older man in dark robes that seemed to float around him. His frame was thin, his hair wiry, and his face wrinkled. He didn't look like someone who should be in battle._

_The man growled and huffed. "The laguz assault was a decoy, and your real objective was this camp? You're more clever than I expected. This isn't the strategy of laguz. It must have been planned by beorc."_

_"Our objective is only to burn these supplies. Step aside, and I'll spare your life," Ike warned, his sword at his side. He was there before Soren was, making Soren take a step back, as if he wasn't sure if he should be involved._

_"You know I can't do that. Our masters may be fools, but we are their soldiers nonetheless. Our duty is to carry out orders from our masters."_

_"I thought you'd say that. But I have a duty as well," Ike grunted as he swung his sword at the mage. Soren was not fazed at all; he obviously saw death before, and it didn't bother him as the man grunted his last words and fell forward. Kaetar on the other hand, felt that he was going to be sick as soon as the vision was over. Blood made him queasy._

_Ike turned around, his eyes somehow very striking. He was covered in blood spatter – surely it was the blood of the other soldiers, and for just a moment, Kaetar was remained of the burning portraits. The face of a hero surround in flames._

And then he was back. Though his eyes were closed, he could feel Loiya's arms around his waist and legs, and he was vaguely aware of the fact that Loiya was carrying him, like he always did. Just like he predicted, though, he wasn't feeling that good. He was dizzy – which wasn't abnormal after a vision, but it wasn't going away – and he couldn't help but to feel sick in the pit of his stomach. He never saw so much blood, and he never saw anyone die before. Kaetar knew it was just a vision, but he always knew that it really did happen some time ago. Someone died back there, and he witnessed it through Soren's eyes. He nuzzled his head into the crook of Loiya's neck and sighed.


	7. Who Are You Again?

_Sorry for the lack of updates! _  
_And for the record, I have no idea where this chapter came from in terms of length. It was a lot longer than I expected it to be!_

* * *

It was strange to wake up in the morning. From the time that he and Loiya left Daein until the time they first met the two laguz, his sleeping schedule was flipped upside down since Loiya wanted to travel by night and sleep in the day. Now he was awake two mornings in a row and he sleep schedule was flipped yet again. Loiya was still asleep in the corner of the room, cradling his lance as he slept. Kaetar yawned and shuffled out of bed, heading towards the window. When he opened it, he was hit immediately with the smell of smoke and a cold breeze that he didn't expect to feel in Melior.

He suddenly heard a knock on the window, and though he left the window, there were still traces of the smell that just sent him back to the night before. "Kaetar! It's me, Ema," the voice on the other side muttered with another knock. Kaetar finally opened the door.

"Any news yet?"

"About Syrin and Darius? No. But one of the advisers actually did go out and investigate the chapel. It burned all night long, and three other buildings went down with it by the time the fire burned out, but word around Melior is that no one knows what caused it. Whatever those two did, it worked," Ema answered as he walked into his room. "A little cold in here, Kaetar."

"It doesn't bother me. Winter is a lot worse than this." Kaetar closed the door behind him and sat on the bed with her. Loiya was still sleeping in the corner of the room, and instantly, Kaetar felt bad that Loiya was on the floor while he and Ema were on the bed.

"He doesn't look too good. Did you leave the window open all night?" Now that Ema mentioned in, Loiya did look pale. Was it from sleeping in the corner? It couldn't be; he was fine the last time they stayed at the inn. Though he felt bad that he slept on the bed while he slept sitting up, it was Loiya that always insisted on it; perhaps his bodyguard felt like it was simply part of the job. He was defending Kaetar against bandits and back pain, apparently.

"No. Help me get him on the bed, will you?" Kaetar asked as he pulled the lance out of his grip.

Ema nodded, grabbing Loiya's left arm and throwing it around her shoulder. Loiya was still in his own world when Kaetar put the lance down and did the same thing as Ema, only with his other arm. Together, they heaved Loiya off the floor and dropped him on the bed. The bodyguard didn't seem to notice that he was ever moved. He had to feel horrible, and Kaetar was instantly felt guilty. Did he somehow overwork him?

"Let him sleep. He probably needs it. Let's split it up and look for the two idiots, then meet back here at sunset. Sound good?"

Kaetar didn't know. Loiya wouldn't know the plans, and he didn't want him waking up and going out to look for him. No matter how bad Loiya felt, he would find a way to get back to work, and if Kaetar wasn't there, he would look for him. He always did. He couldn't a note; he was sure that Loiya couldn't read, but he would have to test that one day in order to avoid this again.

"Nah, I'll stay here. You go out and look for them. I'm going back to sleep," he answered, tugging the blankets off of Loiya's bed and dumping them into the pile on the floor. Loiya didn't even know he was moved; he didn't need the blankets. Ema laughed as Kaetar curled up tightly in his makeshift bed. Somehow, he managed to make one side thicker for his head, and manged to wrap the other side around himself to make some sort of cocoon.

"You try that. I'll go out," the cat smirked, closing the curtains before she left the room. Kaetar yawned.

And was woken up again. This time though, it was Loiya. He still looked awful; he was sweaty, dark under the eyes, and still pale. Kaetar yawned again then worked to wrestle himself out of his cocoon, while Loiya only offered a small smile. He either thought it was funny that he managed to get himself stuck in the floor or it was a sympathetic smile because he couldn't help. The prince couldn't tell. "What's the problem?" Kaetar asked.

"I was going to ask you. I know I didn't fall asleep on the bed. Did you move me?"

"Not by myself, Ema helped. But you're... looking horrible. Is it another headache?" Kaetar mumbled as he stood up, offering Loiya a hand to get off the floor. Loiya took it, and Kaetar shouted in surprise as Loiya yanked on his arm, nearly pulling him down.

"Ah, sorry!"

"You did that on purpose! You're avoiding the subject!" the prince suddenly shouted as he used his his free hand to grab Loiya's hand in order to keep himself steady. Loiya managed to laugh, then pushed Kaetar down to the floor. Though Loiya seemed to think it was funny, Kaetar thought it be quite the opposite. He knew that Loiya was avoiding the subject, because he wasn't acting like a regular teen until Kaetar brought the subject of his headache up.

"Loiya!"

The bodyguard immediately stopped laughing, and the little droops of blood that Kaetar could see on his lips told them he was biting down on his lips in order to prevent himself from doing so. "Look, I'll tell you the news if you tell me why you slept in this morning. You never sleep in, so don't think you can beat around the bush anymore," the prince muttered, trying to keep his voice under control. He was no idea that he was frustrated with his bodyguard, but he could definitely feel it in his chest now.

"It was another headache. I didn't feel good at all when we got the inn, and you didn't look at that good either, so I stayed up all night and watched you. It doesn't explain why I had the headache I guess, but it's not like you were feeling much better. I know you had another vision or whatever, but you're usually perky after it. Not last night. What happened, hm?"

"It was just what I saw. I don't want to talk about it." Kaetar looked away and felt like he was suffocating from the tension.

"That's fine. I was just worried, but I guess you were too."

"Do you feel better now?"

"I'm not going to sit around and wait until it goes away. I don't need another day off," Loiya growled, but Kaetar wasn't fazed about it. He knew it was just the pride talking more than anything at this point.

Suddenly, the door burst opened again. It was Ema, but she had a new partner with her, one that Kaetar failed to recognize. He was kind of short, with bright green eyes and straw-coloured hair that was tied back into a rather small ponytail. He had a green tunic with tan leggings, and brown leather boots. At his hip was a yellow book. Loiya didn't seem to know him either, but the stranger ran up and scooped him up into a tight hug. "LOIYA! How have you been? It's been forever since I last saw you! How's your father? Is he still kicking?"

"Who the heck are you?" Loiya asked, pushing the cheerful man away. Ema's new friend seemed disappointed.

"I should have realized that you were to young to remember me! You were barely up to my hip when we last met. My name is Nicholas, I'm a friend of your father's!" he answered with a bow, making Loiya visibly cringe. He was clearly uncomfortable with the new arrival dotting over his childhood.

"I wasn't aware that my dad knew anyone from Crimea; he never mentioned it," Loiya answered with a frown.

"Aren't we straying from the matter at hand?" Ema asked, her voice impatient.

"Oh! Yes, we are! Sorry, I just got excited when I saw Loiya. We must be going now, so if you would pack whatever you have and meet us downstairs, that would be great!" Nicholas bowed to Loiya and Kaetar, which made Kaetar feel uncomfortable as well. Most people did not bow to him unless he was with his father, but that was because Kaetar usually didn't allow them to, though that didn't stop most people from being overly polite. It wasn't like he would have them executed because they didn't address him with his title all the time, but it was what everyone in the castle feared.

It didn't take Loiya and Kaetar long to pack, as most of their things were already packed; all Loiya did was rearrange some of the things in their bags in order to make them fit better. He wasn't a professional packer, but he got the job done better than Kaetar could. They each grabbed one of their own bags headed downstairs, and found themselves outside, where Kaetar again cringed from the smell of smoke. Nicholas was outside with Ema, and both of them were discussing something quietly to themselves, and immediately stopped when Kaetar and Loiya arrived outside. "Ready to go?" Nicholas asked with a smile.

"Where are we going?" Kaetar asked, adjusting his bag slightly.

"Later, once we hit the road," Nicholas answered turning away quickly. Kaetar turned to Ema, who simply shrugged. She didn't know anything, or if she did, she wasn't willing to share, much to Kaetar's disappointment. The new arrival led the three past the chapel, fighting against another crowd – or what remained of the chapel, which was nothing but a blackened wall and a couple of pews – and out of Melior. He could practically smell the freshness in the air when they distanced themselves from Melior, and while Melior was nice, he was happy to be outside again, and being outside meant something.

Nicholas suddenly stopped and turned around, throwing his hands on his hips. Loiya was visibly disturbed, though Kaetar could guess it had something to do with the fact that Nicholas was rather flamboyant, even more so than Darius, and Kaetar thought that the raven was flashy. It might also have something to do with the fact that his father knew him. "Now that we're on the road, I can start explaining everything, which is good, because we need some conversation to break the silence."

Just like he promised. Kaetar was surprised that he didn't have to say anything to him in order to get it out of him, Nicholas did it himself. Kaetar continue to walk, motioning that everyone else should do the same. Nicholas ran up to walk beside him. "You see, I was sent by Darius and Syrin to fetch you three out of Melior. Syrin said he realized that he forgot to arrange a meeting spot, and sent me to catch you three, before you left Melior," he answered, smiling at Loiya. "But I never expected to see Loiya! What are you doing in Crimea? I thought you lived in Nevassa." Nicholas frowned.

"I... I do, but I have a job to do right now that requires me to be away from home right now," Loiya replied without enthusiasm. It looked like just being around Nicholas drained him of his energy, which Loiya didn't seem to have a lot of. Nicholas did require a lot of attention, simply because he was more energetic than anyone among them, and he doubted that Loiya recovered completely from his new headache. Just thinking about it made Kaetar's head spin, if only in sympathy for Loiya.

"Oh? And what's that? Don't tell me that you got involved in the rebellion!"

"What does it look like? If you had to come pick us up, then I assume that you're also with us, so you can't say anything!" Loiya growled.

Nicholas' frown didn't leave his face. If anything, he looked quite sad, most likely for Loiya. "Is something the matter, Loiya? I remember you being a cheerful child."

"Well, that child is gone now! He grew up and learned about the real world! And say anything about my 'childhood' again and I'll _kill_ you! You don't know me and YOU NEVER KNEW ME! You just know my father, and guess what? I'm not my father, so... Leave. Me. Alone!" Loiya screamed, then stumbled backwards, leaning on his lance for support. Kaetar was immediately at his side, only in time for Loiya to fall into Kaetar, making them both tumble to the ground. Kaetar groaned as he climbed out from under Loyia, then moved to sit him up.

"Loiya! Are you okay?" Kaetar asked before realizing it was a stupid question. Of course he wasn't alright. He never freaked out like that before, as far as he knew, and never collapsed before; again, as far as he knew. He was like Nicholas; he didn't know Loiya. He knew him far better, but he never knew about his life before Loiya became his bodyguard, aside form the couple of times where they played together as very young boys. Yes, he was cheerful back then, but what child wasn't happy with their innocence?

Loiya groaned a response and stood before falling to one knee. "Sorry... I'm fine... we can keep moving."

"No, this is ridiculous. We have to stop for a break or else we'll be slowed down even more," the cat answered with a sigh, bending down next to Loiya and putting the back of her hand to his forehead. "He's burning up. It's not just a regular headache, I think he's down right ill."

"He's sick now? I thought it was just that it suddenly got worse," the prince mumbled, trying to think back to his lazy days. Did he ever read a book on headaches? Loiya seemed to be plagued by them, but there was no obvious reason for them to occur. There was no reason that he could find for his temperature to go up either, but that did explain the sudden outburst; the fever must have agitated him beyond reason. Anything could have set him off in a state like that, but it was just that Nicholas was the one talking to him, and it was clear that Loiya was uncomfortable with his presence.

"We'll have to ask Syrin. He might have ideas, but for now, we have to find a way to carry on." Ema stood up and paced around in a small circle.

"How big are you in your transformed state? Perhaps you can carry Loiya," Nicholas suggested, seemingly unfazed by Loiya's outburst. It was more than likely to Kaetar that the adult understood Loiya's condition, and could put it past him. He was certainly quieter though, which Kaetar was thankful for.

"I don't know how long I'll be able to carry him for. It's not easy for me to stay transformed for long, but I suppose there's no reason why I can't try," the cat answered, spreading her legs out slightly and taking a deep breath. Suddenly, there was a bit of light and a brown coloured cat replaced Ema's human form. She was up to Kaetar's waist on all fours, and her fur was lighter on the bottom then it was on the top.

"So... that's what a transformed laguz looks like," Kaetar mumbled to himself as he wrapped one of Loiya's arms around his neck as Nicholas grabbed the other arm, though Loiya didn't say anything. He was either too weak too, or simply decided that now wasn't the time to fight. The bodyguard was laid down on Ema's back. He was on his stomach, and he was able to gently wrap his hands around her neck and pulled his feet up; he was weak, but by no means useless. Ema started in a slow trot, while Kaetar picked up Loiya's fallen lance and Nicholas took the lead. There were no words, only the occasional moan from Loiya, who was just downright miserable.

* * *

It took longer to get to town then any of them thought. As soon as Ema could touch a building, she transformed and panted as she stretched out her arms. "Phew!" she huffed. "You're heavy than you look, Loiya," the cat mumbled as she and Kaetar sat him against a wall.

"Nicholas, can you go get Darius and Syrin? I don't want to leave either of them here by themselves," the prince muttered quietly. It wasn't a lie; he didn't want to leave either of them, only because he was just as exhausted as they were. Usually, long walks didn't exhaust him this much, especially when he considered all of the walking he did but somehow, watching Loiya struggle to keep his head up made him feel almost just as bad as Loiya looked. His legs ached, and his mind was muddled. He slid to sitting position and leaned his head against Loiya's shoulder. He was sure that whatever Loiya had wasn't going to affect him.

He was almost asleep when Nicholas returned with Syrin and Darius, both who reeked of smoke. Both of them made an effort to bathe themselves, as both of their hair was dripping, and Darius was still flapping his wings, like he was still trying to get the water off. Kaetar couldn't recall ever seeing Darius with his hair down, which was almost at his waist when it was wet and straight. Syrin's eyes seemed to focus on Loiya, and he sighed as if the new development annoyed him. Yes, it was a bit of a burden while Loiya recovered, but no one else made a point of it. They were not doomed if they stayed in the same place for a couple of days. "What do you think of it, Syrin?" Darius asked as he pulled his wet hair into a ponytail, and growled when it didn't work out.

"He will need to rest at the inn until he recovers; moving him around too much at this point will only hinder us," Syrin growled, baring his teeth. "Just great. Kaetar, I take it that you will pay for the accommodations?"

"Wait, wait, wait! Why are you making the kid pay?" Nicholas asked, looking quite alarmed. He was awfully quiet for someone who seemed so chatty before. Perhaps he was alarmed by Loiya's words from earlier, even though Kaetar could tell that Loiya didn't truly mean it. It was the fever that was talking rather than Loiya himself.

"That 'kid' is the Prince of Daein. He can afford to pay for the rooms while his bodyguard recovers. I suspected that they would have told on you on the road," the leader mumbled.

"It's fine, really. If Loiya needs rest, then he'll get the rest he needs," the prince answered. He didn't really mind paying anymore, as it was the reason why he bought it along in the first place. He had no intentions of sleeping in a tent if he could avoid it, as the few mornings he spent in a tent were uncomfortable; he was sure he slept on rocks the entire time. "Besides, I could use a nap."

"Darius, Ema, carry Loiya," Syrin ordered and began walking away. Kaetar forced himself to stand up, but not without a yawn, and caught up to Syrin. Nicholas insisted on helping the two laguz, so he was in the back with the other two, which just left Syrin and Kaetar to themselves. "Is he prone to illness?"

"I suppose. He had headaches back before he left Daein, but this is the first time he had a headache, or a fever for that matter, since we arrived in Crimea. It shouldn't be a problem."

"Hmm, you do know that if it does become a problem, then he's unfit to be a bodyguard, right?"

Kaetar didn't want to hear it. He didn't want a bodyguard that was too old to understand him – most adults forget what it's like to be his age – and that's why he had to keep Loiya. He would never let his father replace his friend; if he was fired, then Loiya wouldn't be allowed to come back unless he somehow become one of the Four Riders. The Four Riders were essentially his father's generals, and while Kaetar looked up to one of them as a father, they were more or less there because of tradition, much like how Begnion kept their Empress. To Kaetar, they didn't seem to be like the Four Riders of Ashnard or his father.

"We just need to figure out why he get headaches."

Syrin seemed mildly amused. "If Loiya himself doesn't know, then it will be impossible. It's up to him to tell us what occurs before he comes down with a headache, but the event may occur several hours before the headache. It's difficult to pinpoint a cause."

"He said it was before the fire! And he was worried about me because your stupid necklace showed me something disturbing!"

"And what would that be?"

"Blood," Kaetar muttered quietly.

"Blood? Is that all?" Syrin was just as unfazed as Soren! Was he really used to death as well? Did he really not care about anyone else's life?

"What do you mean 'is that all'? Someone was murdered in front of my eyes and there was blood everywhere! I've never seen anyone die. Heck, I can only eat meat if I completely push the fact that some animal had to die out of my head!" Kaetar shouted in a whisper, feeling the flare of anger. How dare Syrin be so inconsiderate!

"If you can't handle death, then you're in the wrong place. Soren, along with Ike and the rest of the Greil Mercenaries were involved in two major wars, as you probably know; the Mad King's War and the war between the Laguz Alliance and Begnion, and even then, there was a war between the Ashera and Yune. People died. Get over it. If I knew that you were a pampered prince, then I wouldn't have given it to you in the first place. 'Should've given it to a boy in rags," the leader answered with a shrug.

Despite the meaning of his words, Kaetar was slightly impressed that Syrin could rddle that off the top of his head so easily. Kaetar considered himself to be a amateur historian, especially since Micaiah and Sothe had a hand in it. In fact, Sothe had a hand in both wars is his sources were correct. But Syrin on the other hand, must be a full fledged historian – would he try so hard to protect it if he wasn't?

"How long did you study to know all of that?"

Syrin didn't answer. "There's the inn. Pay for the rooms and take a nap."

"But-"

"Loiya needs his rest, as do you." Syrin looked away. He was obvious changing the subject to avoid answering the question, but it was true nonetheless. He needed to pay for the rooms in order to use them, and quite honestly, he still needed the nap, especially after talking to Syrin. There was something about him that made him emotionally draining to talk to – and it had a lot to do with Syrin's perception on everything. He was cynical and as far as Kaetar could see, rarely expressed any emotion. He paid for the rooms quickly, a single for all of them, and proceed to claim one of the rooms for himself. He was surprised a small town even had an inn, though if people were on their way to Melior, he supposed they would stop here. "But it's not even a day's walk," he told himself as he threw himself on top of the bed.

He could hear shuffling in the room next to himself through the thin walls, and knew that Nicholas and the laguz had managed to carry an ill Loiya to his own room. Maybe he should have bought a double to have someone check up on him, but between himself and Nicholas, and even perhaps the inn staff, there would be someone to check on him constantly. He had a feeling that Nicholas wouldn't give up on him.

"Hey," a voice muttered at his door. Kaetar realized now that he forgot to close it, and found Nicholas in the door way. Kaetar nearly laughed at the coincidence, and motioned for Nicholas to come in. The mage closed the door behind him.

"Something wrong?"

"It's about Loiya. You know him better than I do... did he honestly mean to kill me?" Nichola asked with a frown that made Kaetar feel sorry for him. He could understand his excitement of meeting up with Loiya again. If Kaetar ever met any of his uncles, he had a feeling he would be the same, but Loiya refused to have any of it.

"No. I think he wants to you stop talking like you know him, but he wouldn't try killing you. It was the fever talking, if you get what I mean," the prince answered.

"And is it true about what Syrin said?"

"About me being the Prince of Daein? That's true, though I wished he didn't even mention it. Loiya's been my bodyguard for about two years now, I think. Everyone thinks he's too young, but I think he's doing alright," Kaetar answered with a yawn.

Nicholas also yawned, then smiled again. That was much better – Kaetar preferred the smile over the withdrawn and upset look on his face. He needed someone to balance out Syrin's personality, which seemed to be the exact opposite. "I think he'll do fine, but I think he also needs to relax more. Maybe all of the stress is what made him ill. Darius and Ema filled me on everything while you and Syrin and talking together up there."

Stress? Kaetar never considered that Loiya stressed himself sick. He seemed laid back yesterday, until he was escorting him to the inn that was, and he claimed to have stayed up all night making sure he was okay. He even tried to look back on the headaches that occurred before he left. The royal leaders of Tellius together in one place, with Kaetar's reputation – or lack of – on the line. Did that stress him out also?

"I'll talk to him about that," Kaetar answered. "I don't want my father to think he can't handle it and replace him."

"No, that wouldn't be good. Thank you for talking to me though, your highness," Nicholas said with a smirk, and promptly left the room, closing the door behind him. Kaetar merely shook his head and threw the blankets over his body.

* * *

Kaetar woke up around sundown, back to his old yet new schedule. He was tired, but more hungry than he was tired, and realized that he didn't eat anything that day. He either walked or slept the entire day, and left no room for food, and that bothered him. He stumbled out of bed, knowing that eating something was a necessity when Loiya was down with a fever; it would a lot worse if both Kaetar and his bodyguard were miserable and not feeling well because they neglected their bodies to some degree.

In the inn lobby, he found Darius fixing his hair again and Syrin reading some sort of paper. Kaetar could only guess that Ema and Nicholas were upstairs with Loiya.

"Up already? We thought you would sleep through the night," the raven mumbled through the ribbon that he kept in his mouth. He suddenly pulled out it with a free hand, wrapped it around his hair and tied it off, and smiled, most likely content with his hair. "Yes! It's was finally dry enough to tie it up! Do you know how early in the morning I have to bathe to have enough time to dry it?"

Syrin merely glanced up from his sheet. "Then cut it," he mumbled quietly.

"I'm hungry, that's why. I haven't had a bite to eat all day," Kaetar answered, steering the conversation back to the original path. He simply wasn't in the mood for more drama tonight, even if Darius was just going to get defensive about his hair – and Kaetar knew Darius was the type who would.

"Well, there's a small cafe down the street. It would be fun! Just the two of us!" Darius exclaimed with a smile.

"Wait, what about Syrin?" the prince asked, looking towards Syrin, who was still hiding behind his sheet. There was no way he wasn't done reading; the print that Kaetar could seen, but couldn't read, wasn't small, and there wasn't much of it.

"Syrin never eats with us. In fact, I don't think he even sleeps at night!"

"I eat and sleep when necessary."

"When you're on the verge of death?" Darius asked. Kaetar couldn't tell if he was serious or not, but either way, Syrin didn't comment. It did explain why the leader was thin; he barely ate, so there was no meat to put on his bones.

"Let's go now, Darius," Kaetar mumbled, not wanting to think about Syrin's health anymore. He didn't even want to think about Loiya until he was taken care of himself, which wouldn't normally happen – Loiya's health would usually be on his mind, especially now that he was so ill.

The cafe was at the end of street, squished between two stands, both which were closing up for the day. The cafe, however, was just beginning to see a lot of active – a lot for a small village anywhere. Kaetar supposed that anyone who wasn't at the bar would be at the cafe for all of their social night outs. "Where did you find this?" Kaetar asked as they stepped into the cafe. He felt as if he was entering another world; the cafe was bright, and was a lot bigger on the inside than it was on the outside. It had the cozy atmosphere of the libraries that he loved with the oak tables and chairs, and even a fire place but there was an air of sophistication. The place was professionally ran, and Kaetar could actually even consider hiring the waitresses for the palace.

"Impressive, huh? Let's get the spot by the fireplace!" Darius called out as he grabbed Kaetar's wrist, making the prince stumble after the raven.

"Hey, Darius, what did happen at back the chapel?" Kaetar suddenly asked as they sat down in their seats. There was a piece of paper with their menu and prices, written out by hand.

"Can't talk about it as long as we're in a busy place. But I'm dying to know more about- oh sorry. I'll have your finest cup of water," the raven smirked as the waitress covered at their table. She looked unamused, but turned towards Kaetar anyway.

"And I'll have the bread and fruit," Kaetar muttered, setting the piece of water down. The waitress took off and Kaetar shot Darius a confused looked. "Just water? Really?"

"Everyone aside from you has already eaten, so I don't need anymore. I'm only here because I thought you would lonely and I wanted to learn more about you; no one else knows that you were even up anyways," the raven shrugged.

"You... want to learn about me?" Kaetar asked slowly. No one ever took an interest in him; they were either to afraid to ask about him or they thought they knew everything that there was to know about him. Darius wasn't part of that group obviously, and the only thing the bird did know was that he was in Crimea, and that was something that Kaetar still couldn't figure out. News shouldn't have spread at all, unless the border cities heard something of it.

"Yeah! It's not everyday that you're travelling with royalty. I know how the bird laguz royals are, but I never had much contact with a beroc royal before you. They're too good for a mercenary, I suppose," Darius shrugged as the waitress came back with a bowl of assorted fruits,bread, and Darius' water. She left promptly, leaving them to their conversation.

"Well... what do you want to know about then? I'm a pretty broad subject," the prince mumbled, stabbing a fork into his fruit - he wasn't so accustomed to staying away from home yet to eat with his hands. Besides, fruits were juicy, and the juice was sticky, and he didn't want to have to deal with that all night.

"How about your family?"

"I have a father and a mother, and I'm an only child, but I don't have the best relationship with my father. I have two uncles and an aunt from my mother's side, but I've never met them. I just know of them," Kaetar answered, surprised at how much he was willing to talk. Was he that flattered that someone actually took an interest in him that he was just going to speak whatever came to his mind? He would have to be more careful than that out in public; he was comfortable around Darius and trusted him - even if Loiya didn't – but he couldn't trust everyone else in the bar. Besides, he first met the two laguz by not being careful, and while he didn't regret meeting the laguz, it still met that he should be careful.

"Why not? What's going?" Darius asked, coughing on his water. Kaetar didn't think it was because he was surprised, but rather because the water didn't go down the right way. "Wait, never mind, don't kill the mood. What about leaving Daein?"

"I left Daein to learn more about history. I can get Daein's history anywhere, but if it concerns any other country then... well, it's not too easy to find after that," the prince admitted. He wasn't ready to talk about the necklace yet – he found it awkward to talk about the fact that the necklace showed him things. He wasn't that comfortable yet.

"Daein never strikes me as the country that would embrace others that easily. I know several laguz who still cringe whenever Daein's brought up. They try to forgive and forget, I believe, but everyone still thinks that Daein likes to do nothing but cause wars and kill laguz," the raven mumbled, his head down towards the table. Kaetar was briefly reminded of Loiya; there was a serious Darius, which Kaetar met just now, and the Darius that would compete with Nicholas for being the perky, fun one of the group. It made him wonder if there was something in the past that Darius feels that he had to make up for now.

"Laguz live for a long time. I don't think there's anyone in Daein that ever participated in the wars or in the laguz hunts now – anyone that did would be dead. We have a new population I suppose, with a couple of laguz in the mix as well. We're peaceful now, but I guess the laguz will always see it differently," Kaetar answered. He was aware of the fact that Daein launched a surprise attack on Crimea about 153 years ago, and he was also aware of the fact that Daein got itself involved in a war that they didn't seem to belong in, but none of that made him think any less of Daein – he knew that it was different now. Daein wants nothing but to live in peace.

"What of Micaiah?" Darius asked suddenly, making Kaetar blink in surprise. Why was she brought up all of a sudden?

"What about her?"

"Wouldn't she still be alive?"

What was he even talking about? Unless she was a branded? He heard of the possibility, but he never considered it because it was a lot easier to assume that she, along with most of the people that fought for Daein after the war, was dead. "I... don't know. I heard that rumours and uncertainty from books, but I never really thought about it. Maybe she's still alive? Why would you ask though?"

"Well, she would be one who lived through the war, assuming she's still alive, and even in Daein though. It was just a thought though."

"How did you even know though? Most people only know her as the 'Silver-Haired Maiden'. It's just odd, is all," Kaetar mumbled, finishing the last of his fruit.

"Laguz can be old, and I for one, am older than I look, and because of that, I look my best. All jokes aside though, I was involved in the last war as soon as old enough to defend myself. I don't remember all of it... but that's a story for later," Darius mumbled quietly.

"I would have never thought of you to be in that war. What about Ema?" Now that Kaetar knew that Darius wasn't exactly who he thought he was – but then again, he didn't know who he thought Darius was – was Ema in the same boat as well? Darius merely shook his head.

"Nah, she's relatively young. She was born a little after the war. She's a little under a century, I believe. And if you're wandering how I know that, it's because she told me. Or rather, I bugged her to tell me. When I'm curious, I'm curious, darn it," Darius laughed. "You know though, I think we should go back. Somehow, you ended learning more about me than I learned about you. Funny how that worked."

It was kind of funny. Darius learned very little about him, and ended up talking about himself more, but Kaetar couldn't help but to feel comfortable about him. If he was willing to tell him stuff like that, then it wasn't hard to trust him. He didn't understand why Loiya didn't want to talk to him much, but he thought that Darius was alright. When he and Darius found themselves back upstairs in the inn, they found Syrin leaving Loiya's room with some sort of staff. "What is that?" Kaetar asked. It was the first question that popped into his head.

"It's a staff, Kaetar. A sleeping staff, actually. The inn had one handy."

"Why would the inn have a sleep staff?" Darius asked, folding his wings in tighter.

"In case there is a situation where someone has to be put to sleep. If someone's screaming in their sleep, it would be wise as a business to make sure they don't disturb the rest of the customers for long," Syrin answered, walking past them the staff in hand. Kaetar noted the stillness in his left arm, and the agitated look on Syrin's face as he walked by. He looked like he was in pain, and was trying hard not to show it, but then again, what did Kaetar know? After his meeting with Darius, he felt like it wasn't much. But then another thought came to him, and he immediately ran to Loiya's room. The fevered bodyguard was sleeping silently in his bed, but Nicholas looked like he was about to fall asleep where he stood, and Ema looked like she was just calming down.

"What happened?"

"His fever spiked. I don't know why, but he just started screaming and neither of us could wake him up or calm him down, so Syrin came in with a staff and just made him calm," the cat explained.

"Sleep staff, Ema, sleep staff. I think I'm going to bed now," the mage sighed as he walked out of the room.

"Good night!" Darius called after him. "Ema, how about you sleep as well? I don't think Loiya will need much attention now. Syrin can handle it if nothing else."

"I guess that's good enough," the cat replied as she stood up out of her seat and stretched her arms.

"I didn't think you would nurse him – or any beorc for that matter – back to health though. You don't seem to be the motherly type," the raven smirked.

"A male would never understand!" Ema shouted, kicking Darius in the shin before promptly leaving the room. Kaetar looked back at Loiya's face, a face that was oddly peaceful despite the pain that he must being suffering from. Kaetar staggered out of the room after Ema. He was tired also, but he knew he also had to write the latest vision in his notebook. He didn't know what it meant, but only that it had something to do with what happened around him. At least, it seemed to work that way, but visions also came to him randomly, and he had no reason to believe that it wouldn't happen again.

Every time though, he saw Ike; an Ike that once looked no bigger than Loiya, then grew to the bulk that killed the man in the fire, but nothing that he saw made Kaetar think of a god. Ike may have given someone a second chance, even if they didn't take it, but he was also able to turn around and strike his sword at the one he gave a chance to. He was a killing machine, and if that lack of hesitation didn't tell him, it was Ike's unfazed appearance that did. Was that what a God did? Does a God kill people in a battle and sleep quietly at night?

Maybe it was the Daein in Kaetar, but the prince failed to see what made Ike stand out to the Crimeans as a God.

* * *

_I'm so sorry for tossing in new characters. I feel like it's a new character every chapter, but that will stop soon, I promise! _  
_And review as well, please! I read them and I will always consider what you say, even if it's just a typo. Don't be shy!_


	8. Fevered Escape

Loiya's fever had gone down overnight, but in the end, the bodyguard still had difficulty getting out of bed, so Kaetar decided that now was not the time to lecture him about working himself past his limits. Besides, Loiya was irritable, and wasn't in the mood for anyone's company. They would have to stay for another night for him to recover, and that was something that seemed to visibly bother Syrin, but Kaetar couldn't care less at that point.

Kaetar stayed in his room, reading his notebook yet again to see if there was anything he missed, and fingered the necklace as if it would grant him another vision. It was simply one of those days where there was nothing to do, and it was days like those that made him want to pull out a book; but he had nothing on him and he knew that Crimea lacked the history books that he favoured. The next best thing would be the visions, but apparently they would only occur when he didn't want them to.

He decided to leave the book and left the inn, where he found a crowd of people gathered around the exit that lead to Melior. He began approaching the crowd, only to be forcibly pulled back into the inn with a hand over his mouth. "Stay quiet and don't move," Darius whispered into his ear as he closed the door.

"What's going on outside? Where are the others?"

"In my room. I came to get you, but you left," the raven answered. "Now come, we have to talk." Kaetar knew it was urgent by Darius' somber expression. When they entered his room, he found Ema crouched under an open window, probably listening to the crowd outside.

"I believe they're on our side," the cat muttered quietly.

"What's going on?" Kaetar repeated.

"There are Crimean soldiers here, and they are looking for us," Syrin answered quietly.

"Did they actually catch you doing it?" Nicholas asked, clearly uncomfortable in the situation. He did join the rebellion, but there was something in the back of his mind that bothered him, that much Kaetar could tell. He just didn't seem fully engaged in the conversation.

"No, but we stand out as suspicious looking people," Syrin answered. "Did you say that they're on our side?"

"Yes, they say we've already left," the cat answered quietly. "I still hear the soldiers, though. I believe they want to search the village, and if that happens, then there is no way we're going to escape without someone dying."

That wasn't good. Kaetar watched for the reaction on Syrin's face, and found that he was relatively calm. He just looked to be deep in thought, which Kaetar didn't mind; Syrin could take as long as he wanted if he could take them out of the village. Suddenly, there was a shout from outside the window, and Kaetar quickly realized that something was wrong. He approached the window, and found several men in white armour around the inn, pushing the villagers back as they tried to protest against their actions. "They must be here! Men! Surround the building and capture them alive!"

"It's no use. We'll have to kill them to get through. Either way, we'll get in trouble," Syrin muttered. "Kaetar, go wake up Loiya."

"Where are we meeting this time?"

"Go to the ruins west of here."

Kaetar nodded and made his way to Loiya's room while the others made their way towards the inn's entrance. He grabbed the bags from his room on the way out, and slipped both on before finding his bodyguard's room. Loiya, however was already out of his bed with his lance in hand, and as if he was reading Kaetar's mind, he smiled weakly. "I heard Syrin through the wall. I'll be fine, but we need to leave," he muttered quietly, taking Kaetar's hand. This is different then what Kaetar expected; he wasn't acting anything like he was before. He was being nice now – but earlier he threw a pillow at Nicholas because the mage asked if he needed water.

By the time he reached the entrance, he saw a raven's talons rake through a Crimean's chest and a brown cat to his left pouncing on another man in white. Loiya guided him through a break in their lines and made a mad dash in the direction that Syrin indicated. He could already see Syrin in front of him, who opted for the same option.

"Don't let them get away!"

Kaetar cursed, and dared to take a look back. About five men took off in their direction – hot on their trail – and Kaetar could feel the burning pain in his chest. He was beginning to slow down, but on the other hand, Loiya seemed to pick up the speed. "Down the alley!" Syrin shouted as he turned to the left. Loiya followed, and Kaetar cursed again. It was a dead-end. What the heck was Syrin thinking? The leader rested up against the wall, panting heavily as he lifted his head to face the soldiers. Loiya growled and swore before spinning around, letting go of the prince's hand before he faced the Crimeans that followed them.

Kaetar's back hit the wall. Loiya has practically threw him into the wall that marked the dead-end for his protection, but the prince couldn't help but to slightly upset. He stayed on the ground, but he managed to push himself up into a sitting position. One of the soldiers stepped in front of the others and pointed a lance at them. "We'll give you one more chance to come with us quietly or we will-"

The soldier never got to finish. Loiya pulled his bloody lance out of the soldier's neck with a spray of blood, then with a pivot of his body, buried his lance into the chest of the soldier closet to him. Kaetar gasped at the blood, but didn't feel as sick as he thought he would have; perhaps it was the situation that managed to keep his stomach contents inside. On the other hand, he couldn't help but to notice that his stomach was uncomfortably tight, and it was this feeling that kept him frozen. Was it fear? Loiya stepped to the side as another lance grazed his side, and with a yell, Loiya returned the blow, spinning the lance around from behind and striking the soldier in the neck, killing him like the first soldier. Another raised his weapon just as Loiya retrieved his own.

This time Loiya couldn't dodge it. The lance dug into his shoulder and with a yelp, he staggered back, nearly tripping on Kaetar. The bodyguard recovered his lance, which fell from his hand when he was struck, but instead of attacking, he used his lance to hold off the soldier's next attack.

Kaetar was hugging the wall now, and backed into the corner as the last soldier approached him and Syrin. The leader managed to keep a defiant look on his face, but he said nothing; even Kaetar managed to stay quiet. "You're friend is well-trained, but no man can take on so many! Now, come with us, or we'll kill him. You're outmatched and out numbered!" the last soldier panted, holding his lance up to Kaetar's neck. There was a shout, which was followed by a soothing chanting. The sky darkened slightly as bolt of thunder suddenly struck the soldier. He screamed, and his body convulsed as he fell to the ground.

The prince didn't need to see who it was. He knew the attack came from Nicholas. Loiya growled as swung at the soldier that still occupied his time, but ultimately missed. The bodyguard look far from steady, and Kaetar swore that he was swaying on his feet. Whatever made it possible for him to fight in the first place was wearing off now, and all Kaetar could see the fever returning. The soldier apparently had enough though; he merely dropped his lance and ran away, exiting the village rather than heading back toward the laguz. The bodyguard turned around and knelt beside the prince with a warm face, despite his apparently illness. It was a nice gesture, but the fact that Loiya was covered in his own blood and blood splatter from the soldiers completely changed everything; whatever kept Kaetar from fainting before let go of him, and with a nervous laugh, he felt his body hit the ground, and the darkness closed in.

* * *

Kaetar came around when the sun was at its highest point, and he was vaguely aware of the fact that he was being carried. It was hot and sticky, and he found himself sweating, though he wasn't sure if that was related to the heat. "Are you back with us?" Nicholas asked, looking down at him with a smile, and he only looked down because Kaetar was settled in his arms. The prince was either lighter than he thought he was, or Nicholas was stronger than he looked.

"What the heck happened? Where are we?" Kaetar asked, only able to recall Loiya's bloody figure. Where was Loiya now? Were he and Nicholas alone?

"You fainted, and so did Loiya. We're just on our way to the ruins, and that will take a day or two." He fainted? He couldn't remember that, so it had to be a real fainting spell – not what a vision did to him. He was always back on his feet shortly after a vision, and always felt relatively fine, aside from dizziness that went away quickly; but this time, he was still feeling groggy, even after hours after the event.

"Is everyone else with us?"

"The others are up ahead," the mage answered. Loiya was with the others then, though Kaetar didn't know how well he was doing. He was wounded and ill, and even if he felt a lot better before the battle, he had to be feeling the toll of overexerting himself now. That was the first time that he saw what Loiya was capable of, though; Kaetar knew that he had to know what he was doing, otherwise he wouldn't have been hired, but the prince had to admit that Loiya surprised him. He did not expect Loiya to kill a man while he was talking, and didn't expect that Loiya would be able to do what he did while suffering from a fever.

"And Loiya?"

"His wounds were healed with a vulnerary... not well, but the bleeding stopped," Nicholas answered with a shrug. Kaetar was relieved; Loiya was going to be fine so long as his wounds didn't open again.

"Do you know about the ruins?"

"Yes! We're going to the ruins of the fort that the Greil Mercenaries themselves called home! It was hit by a bad storm after it was officially reclassified as a monument, so no one is allowed to enter the building, but that isn't going to stop Syrin, apparently!" Nicholas beamed."I'm so excited! I never seen it before!"

"We really are rebels, aren't we? First the church, then the soldiers, and now we're trespassing? If my father found out, I would never see the sun again!" Not that Kaetar saw the sun very often before, but he didn't like the idea of never seeing it. Of all the things he could have been doing, he was running around with criminals, and Loiya could get into serious trouble for the soldiers. He didn't like the idea of getting into trouble, only because he never got into trouble; he was stepping into unknown territory, and that would be frightening to anyone.

Eventually, Nicholas let Kaetar down, and the two were able to catch up to the others – only because Darius needed a break from carrying Loiya. Ema looked simply exhausted; she was covered in dirt and scratches that resulted from her scuffle with the soldiers. Darius looked better, much better than his cat friend, but he still seemed weary from carrying Loiya. He was the only one who really could – he was stronger than he looked, which was a trait that Kaetar found to be common in laguz, but he was also the tallest one. He could carry Loiya without Loiya's feet being dragged on the ground.

The group sat around the grass together when a thought came to Kaetar. "Syrin, why did you tell us to go into the alley? You had to have known it was a dead end."

"I did," the leader answered.

"Then why did you tell us to do it?" Kaetar repeated, getting a little impatient with Syrin's silence.

"I knew that when backed into a corner, Loiya would react, just like any other creature would," he muttered. It was a risky move; Syrin never saw Loiya fight before – and if Loiya wasn't up to par, they probably all would have been captured. There was no way the laguz would have known where they were, and Kaetar didn't even know how Nicholas found them, unless he was chasing after them the entire time. "And speaking of which, it would be beneficial you knew how to defend yourself. You cannot rely on the rest of the group in a situation like that again."

"What about you?" Kaetar asked. He didn't understand why Syrin would ask him to learn to use a weapon if Syrin wouldn't use one himself.

"I was a mage; but tomes are no longer an option for me. The best I can manage is a staff now," the leader answered. Even Kaetar knew that for the most part, staffs were not a great choice for offensive power; you where better off with tomes if you were stay with magic.

"I think I would best with magic. Loiya said himself that I had the physical strength of a mage."

"Loiya would know you best!" Nicholas smiled, pulling out his thunder tome for Kaetar to look at. The prince fingered the cover, then opened the book to the first page only to find that the letters were faded, and he could barely make out any text on the page. He flipped through a couple of more pages and found the words of the ancient language dark and clear. What was the difference? Nicholas seemed to read his mind, and immediately scooted over beside Kaetar. "The faded pages are used. I don't know why you can't use the same page over and over, but I bet Syrin would know."

"And I bet he wouldn't answer," Darius chimed in.

"We should be leaving," Syrin muttered suddenly, getting up from the ground and walking away. Darius scooped up Loiya, who was still comatose, and followed him. Kaetar stood up and stretched his legs, and slowly began following after the rest of them with Nicholas' tome still open in his hands. He could make out some of the words, but that was a very small selection - he only studied the ancient language as a hobby.

"So I just have to learn this language, correct?"

"Just reading the words won't work, you also have to draw on your own abilities," Nicholas explained. "And you also have to find your affinity for magic."

Affinity for magic? He thought all tomes were the same, and he could jump between them as long as you knew the text. Syrin seemed to sense his confusion, even though his back was turned towards them. "All tomes have different weights, weaknesses, and strengths. A mage could master all three types of anima magic, but he or she will always find that one type in particular better suits their physical strengths, and find that one easier to use."

"So... thunder might not work for me?" Kaetar asked.

"I highly doubt it would, but it's the only tome we have so far, so it will suffice for now," Syrin sighed.

"So why is it that you can't use a sword or something? Why magic? Why not a bow or something? Darius, do you want me to take over?" Ema suddenly asked, turning towards Darius. He merely shook his head.

"Well, if bought I bow and couldn't use it, then it would be a waste of a good bow," Kaetar muttered with a frown. If there was anything that he learned from trying to force Loiya to train him, it was that he was pathetic in the strength department. He never needed to rely on strength before; in his mind, it came down to magic as the only option, and Ema didn't need to worry about that. That was his business and his business alone.

"I suppose I can understand that..." Ema muttered, seemingly uncomfortable with his decision. What was her problem? He doubted that he would ever understand laguz. Even though Darius opened up to him about even being in the last war, he still felt that he didn't understand what made them tick. What scared them? What angered them aside from the obvious racism?

It just reminded him that he didn't know as much as he thought he did.

* * *

After what felt to be a couple of hours, a large mansion popped out of the landscape and presented itself to the group. If it wasn't for the fact that they weren't in Melior, the mansion could easily have been mistaken as a castle; it was built with large, grey stones, and had a gate that bordered it. There were guards and flowers on the other side; everything that reminded him of the luxurious life that he left at home. "Excuse me!" Kaetar called out from the front of the gates. One of the guards approached him, and he could hear Ema growling. Syrin looked more displeased than normal.

"What are you doing?" Syrin asked.

"What is your business here?" the guard asked.

"Who lives here?" Kaetar asked. The guard shot him a look, as if he couldn't believe that he was being asked.

"Duke Tyre and his daughter, Arianna. Who are you to ask?"

Arianna! Kaetar knew his face lit up. He personally knew Arianna from when she and her father went to Daein to discuss the subject which he liked to avoid if he could, but between running away from the Crimea military and Loiya suffering from his fever, he couldn't help but to face it again.

"Kaetar," Syrin growled through his teeth. "We have to leave! What is so important?"

"Just a minute!" Kaetar whispered back, then turned his attention back to the guard. "I'm Prince Kaetar of Daein, and I'm here to see Arianna," the prince announced in the most confident and threatening voice he could muster. The guard, who looked unamused before, suddenly opened the gate. He was surprised that he didn't need proof; the guards were far too trusting. "And I'll be taking my friends with me. If they cause a problem, just let me know, alright?"

Kaetar was the first to step onto the property, and signalled the others to follow him quietly. The guard who let him in was now leading Kaetar to the large doors, and while Kaetar knew Arianna, he never been in her home before. The mansion had many windows and walls that were tanned by the sunlight, full of various paintings and decorations to fill in the space, and seemed maze-like in nature – but maybe that was just every castle and he was just used to the castle in Nevassa. "Lady Arianna will be happy to see you," the guard muttered. "She's in her room right now."

The prince nodded and looked back to the rest of his team. Everyone but Syrin seemed to be in awe, and it occurred to Kaetar that they probably have never been in a mansion before. Syrin didn't seem to care, and if Kaetar had to guess, he would say that Syrin has probably been in one before, and he wasn't surprised because he's seen it all before. They took a flight of stairs up and found themselves in a corridor lined with doors. The guard knocked on one of the doors, and a girl who was no larger than Ema, in her human form that was, answered.

Though the two were about the same height, they looked completely different. Arianna resembled Ramon with her blue eyes, and but she had teal, curly hair that fell to her waist. She was wearing a simple night-dress that came up to her knees. She was a lot prettier than Kaetar remembered, but he also remembered her being about twelve and not nearly as developed then as she was now. She gasped, then ran into Kaetar for a hug. Syrin was glaring at Kaetar, as if he was silently repeating his question. "Kaetar! I didn't think I'd see you for another four years! Did you come to marry me early?"

Everyone went silent. Loiya stirred and opened his eyes for the first time in hours – Kaetar wondered if his bodyguard heard her.

"Don't make me ask again, Kaetar," the leader muttered in a low growl.

Kaetar pulled Arianna off him and turned around to face everyone. "Everyone, this is Arianna. My father arranged a marriage between her and me, so she's my fiancé. Arianna, this is Darius, my bodyguard Loiya, Ema, Nicholas and Syrin," he muttered with his hand on her shoulder.

"That's your bodyguard? Isn't he a little... young?" He was surprised she didn't say anything about how sick he looked; instead, it was how young he looked. He supposed that also came to a shock though; most new recruits were relatively surprised to see Loiya in full uniform with the prince. Yes, he was a little young, but he was just as capable as many others for the job. If anything, Kaetar thought that their closeness in age gave Loiya more motivation that just as paycheck at the end of the day; Loiya would want to make sure his friend was safe.

"He's decent with a lance," Syrin muttered.

"Is he okay?"

"Does he look okay?" Syrin shot backed, then looked at the prince with a accusatory glare. "Are we staying the night here, Kaetar, or did you just take it upon yourself to visit someone that you would clearly see again?"

"I could ask my father if you just said please. I see no reason to let someone who is so rude stay here," Arianna muttered, folding her arms in front of her chest. Syrin looked away, like he was debating his options.. Before Syrin could answer, however, Kaetar cut in.

"Arianna, I want to ask your father myself. There is... something that he needs to know first," Kaetar muttered.

"That is a good idea, Kaetar," the leader muttered as he walked out of the room. "I'll be in the kitchen in you need me."

"I'll take you to the Duke's office, your Highness," the guard that escort him earlier muttered. Kaetar nodded and left Arianna's side. No one else followed him down the hall and to the left, where he found himself in front of a plain old door. There as nothing that denoted the door as Duke's office, other than the fact that it was at the end of a hall. The guard knocked on the door, and Kaetar could hear a scuffled voice welcome them in.

If the outside didn't say anything about a Duke being on the other side of the door, then the inside said a lot. The Duke, who was an older man with greying hair and wrinkles, sat behind a giant desk that was cluttered with papers. The room had red velvet curtains, a luxurious red carpet, and even the chairs were made to be very sturdy and comfortable. Arianna's father put a piece of paper down and exclaimed at the sight of Kaetar at his door. "Kaetar! What are you doing in Crimea?"

"It's a long story... would you wait outside the door, please?" Kaetar asked, turning towards the guard. He nodded and left, leaving him with his future father-in-law. He wouldn't mind if it was just a nice visit, but since it wasn't, it certainly made things awkward. The Duke looked at him, as if to urge him to continue. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yes... but what is the matter? What are you doing in Crimea? I was going to send my daughter to Daein when when you turned twenty, just how your father and I agreed," he muttered, motioning for Kaetar to sit in one of the chairs. Kaetar sat down, but he was uncomfortable in his seat.

"...It's a long story, but it has nothing to do with the marriage, that will still happen according to plan," Kaetar answered with a shrug. "But I'm here for something, and I got myself caught up in a lot of trouble. I don't know how I'm going to get out," he continued, suddenly aware that he was treading unknown waters. He didn't know exactly how the Duke was going to react, and if he somehow ruined a future wedding, he knew he wasn't going to go back to Daein.

"What did you do? Did you get involved with the rebels I keep hearing about?" he asked. Kaetar didn't answer, but Arianna's father seemed to take his silence as an answer. "How did you end up like that, Kaetar? Did you have anything to do with the chapel burning in Melior?"

Kaetar bit his lips. "I... knew about it, but-but... I didn't do anything," he stuttered, feeling the pressure in his face that came from holding tears back. He didn't know why he was getting so upset over what happened; he thought he was over it, especially since he didn't have a hand in what happened. It was all Syrin. Everything was his idea, and if anyone was going to take the blame for it, it should be him. But Kaetar himself felt like he was being blamed – he felt as his life was slipping through his fingers. He knew that he would actively be on the run now; it was a far cry from the life that a prince was expected to lead. He could feel the tears running down his cheek.

Suddenly, the Duke was behind him, bent down on one knee with his hand over his shoulder. "Kaetar... it's alright. I don't know what you are doing, or even why, but I won't tell your father, and I won't sell you out. I know the soldiers are out there trying to round up all the rebels, because that is not first that the rebels acted out like this. You will be my first son, even if it's not by birth, and like a father, I'll have your back."

"But I'm still a criminal! People died because I was here! About four of them! I'm still an accomplice and my father will never accept me now!" he cried back. The impact of what happened in Melior, and what happened in the village that he never learned the name of, finally crushed him. He never felt more emotionally exhausted in his life, even after dealing with his father. Kaetar laid his head down on the desk in front of him and took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He felt Arianna's father run his hand up and down his back, and he felt instantly calmer.

"Do you believe in what you are doing, Kaetar?"

Of course he did. He believed in Syrin's mission to set history straight again, but he didn't necessarily agree with the methods – what other choice was there, though? How else do you make your point known in a society that's pushing so hard towards one direction? He couldn't blame Syrin for burning the chapel down. "Y-yes... I do. I just never had the chance to really think about what it was that happened. I never took the chance to think on it and I never really wanted to," the prince answered with a sigh. If he was moving, he was thinking about the next place. If he was sitting, he was think about Soren; he never did think about what happened. He wanted to hide it from himself.

"You sound calmer now," the Duke muttered, his hand still on his back.

"I feel calmer."

"Now... what is it that you wanted to see me about? Did you need to stay the night?"

Kaetar completely forgot; he was so caught up with his emotions that he forgot why he wanted to see the man in the first place. He wanted to make sure that the man knew what he was getting into when he made his request, and now that he was sure that he did, he felt a lot better about making it. He lifted his head off the table. "Yes. My friends and I need to stay the night. My bodyguard is ill, and he needs a place to recover. I would also like a waggon or carriage for when we get back on the road."

"I will make arrangements for a nurse and for rooms for the night. You may have the wait for a carriage, but be sure you will have one," Arianna's father answered confidently, finally moving back to his own chair.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes; I already said that I wouldn't sell you out if they came to my door. Besides, they need a warrant from King Ramon himself, and considering that he used to write to me constantly, I would know his signature," he answered, his face betraying the confidence he showed Kaetar.

_Used to? _Kaetar asked himself. If King Ramon didn't answer the Duke's letters, then something must have happened to him – a King simply does not disappear with no notice. He kept these thoughts to himself, however he couldn't find the King if he tried. "Thank you... I'll be leaving now to tell everyone the news."

"It's fine, Kaetar. Are you going to join us for dinner?"

"I will, I can't say the same for everyone else," the prince answered with a shrugged.

"Ah. One more thing, Kaetar – please be careful. I do not want to have to find another husband for Arianna – she's excited for you. I do not think she will handle it if you were to die."

Kaetar simply nodded and left. The words struck him deep, but he had no intention of dying. The guard nodded to him, and Kaetar made his way down the hall where he found Arianna standing outside one of the doors. She looked to be deep in thought, but the look instantly disappeared when she saw Kaetar. She waved him over. "Kaetar! Your friends are in here! Except for the rude one, I think he really did go to the kitchen."

"Thanks, Arianna. Can you do me a favour?"

"Yes! What do you need, love?" Arianna asked with a smile, making Kaetar cringe on the inside. He thought it was simply too early for her to be calling him 'love' – their marriage wasn't for another four years!

"I need you to arrange rooms for my friends – your father looks busy, and you know your house better than I do, so -"

"Of course! Just give me a couple of minutes! First off, you're sleeping in my room tonight. I'll have another cot moved in my room for the night!"

"I'd rather not," Kaetar murmured, backing away from her.

"Why not? We'll be sleeping together in the same bed one-"

"That is four years from now! We can do everything that a couple does when we're married, but for now, I'd rather not practice something like that. I'd prefer my own room," Kaetar mumbled, leaving as fast as he could. He made his way downstairs and into the kitchen, just were Syrin said he would be. He had no idea why Syrin would be down there, but Kaetar was determined to see him.

When he found his way into the kitchen, he found Syrin sitting in the chair holding a wet cloth over his left arm. He had his sleeve rolled up, and Kaetar could see not only an arm that was paler than his face, but an ugly scar that snaked its way up to his shoulder, and the wash cloth seemed to be in the middle. Syrin watched Kaetar come in, and looked away, but he didn't move to hide the cloth. "What happened to your arm?"

"I nearly lost it when I was attacked by a bandit. It never healed properly, which makes running and using magic quite painful," Syrin explained. It made sense now; he was in the kitchen for the water that they used to cook with, and the cloth was probably used to clean up after dinner. It also explained why Syrin kept that arm from moving so long as he could help it; it hurt other wise. Kaetar felt bad for him – no matter how many times Syrin may have belittled him and his capabilities, he couldn't help but to feel sympathetic because he knew he would hate to be in that situation.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Syrin scoffed back, taking the cloth off to reveal an uglier portion scar than what wasn't covered by the cloth. It was raised, and resembled a plant root. He pushed his sleeve back down. "Now, did you talk to the Duke?"

"Yes. We can stay here... I said the night, but I don't want to leave until Loiya recovers. I think it would let us stay longer if we need to."

"And he knows the circumstances?"

"Yes... and maybe we will get his support," Kaetar muttered. Syrin looked at him, as if to dare him to continue. The prince gulped and took a deep breath. "And I'm also convinced that something happened to Ramon. Apparently, he and the Duke wrote letters to each other often, but Ramon stopped sending letters back... or at least that's what it sounded like it."

Syrin seemed to consider what he said, then nodded. "It would seem that way. Now, I suggest that you make sure that Loiya has a change of clothes. He is probably still covered in blood. Or are you going to faint on sight of it like earlier today?" he asked with a smirk.

"Why would you even bring that up?" Kaetar asked, rising his voice slightly. Syrin was obviously amused to some degree; there was something about the prince's weakness that Syrin obviously thought was funny.

"It's strange; you are part of a rebellion and you can't stand the sight of blood. Did you really think it would be a peaceful protest even after Darius and I burnt the chapel down?" Syrin asked, his smirk disappearing of his face.

"I guess I hoped," Kaetar answered with a frown. He really did hope that they wouldn't ever need to draw blood or steal a life. He knew that what he was getting into wasn't exactly what one would expect from a foreign prince, but he never expected that someone would die. He was hopeful unless he was faced with evidence that he couldn't deny – and he wasn't hopeful for Ramon.

"Perhaps you'll benefit from this after all; I for one, wouldn't want a naïve king on the throne. Now go; and if you're curious, I will not be attending dinner," Syrin mumbled, standing up from his chair and moving away from Kaetar before he could respond. Kaetar made his way back up stairs, and was happy to find that Arianna assigned everyone with their rooms, and he got a separate room from her. He peeked into Loiya's room, and found that Loiya was not only sitting up, but he was struggling to pull off his shirt, even with the help of the various people present. He was conscious, albeit grumpy and frustrated, but at least it was a sign that he was getting better.

"Loiya!" Kaetar called. Loiya immediately looked past the army of nurses and the look of utter frustration was replaced with a grin. The shirt finally came off, and Loiya seemed to enjoy throwing it off the bed a little too much.

"Kaetar! Can you call these people off for two seconds?"

"Depends... are you still covered in blood?"

Kaetar could see that Loiya was fingering his face and took a quick glance over himself, then pulled the blankets over his legs and singled Kaetar to come in. The prince followed his directions slowly, and swatted the nurses away from Loiya. The bodyguard acted like he was better, but the colour of his skin and the dark circles under his eyes betrayed him. He was still sick – and just to think that he was almost better before the soldiers came! "How are you feeling?"

"A little better," Loiya answered.

"I can tell. I'm kind of surprised actually. You were almost better, then you drive yourself over the edge and make yourself even worse. What am I supposed to do with you? If my father thinks you can't handle the job, then he will fire you – and I don't want some old guy looking over me!" Kaetar shouted. He didn't come into the room to lecture him – it just happened really – but it was still something that needed to come out ever since Nicholas brought the idea up.

"Kaetar, what happened back then was part of the job. We don't know what they were going to do with us if the caught us. I had to do that," the bodyguard responded, keeping his voice relatively calm. Kaetar didn't know if that's how he actually felt, but that was how he looked, certainly.

"I'm not talk about that. I _know_ that was what my father would have expected from you, but I'm talking about what you did after the fire. You worried and stressed about me all night, and you made yourself sick! You don't need to do that for me! I appreciate that there's someone who cares about me, but I don't expect that out of you," Kaetar muttered, keeping his eyes on Loiya. His bodyguard looked away, and the prince could feel a tinge of guilt in his stomach. He didn't want to make Loiya feel bad – he just wanted Loiya to feel better.

"Kaetar-"

"Just rest, alright?" Kaetar mumbled, cutting him off and quickly leaving the room before Loiya could respond.

* * *

_Yes, one day Loiya will get better.  
Not much for comments as far as this goes.  
And remember to review! _


	9. Shattered

_This chapter is on the shorter side, but enjoy nonetheless!_  
_Also, don't expect regular updates. I don't even know when I'll find the time to work on it._

* * *

Kaetar enjoyed two days of peace and quiet; he basically locked himself in his borrowed room with a basic alphabet of the ancient language and Nicholas' thunder tome. If he was going to use a tome, he had to learn the language of the tomes, and after that, he had to learn how to speak and cast. Nicholas promised to teach him – not that he expected Syrin and his disability to train him, especially when using his arm at all seemed to pain him.

Kaetar didn't see Loiya very much over the course of the two days, only to see if he was improving – and Kaetar only managed to catch him when he was asleep. They haven't spoken at all for two days, and if it wasn't for the studying, he probably would be on the verge of an emotional breakdown. He left things unresolved between them, and that wasn't the nicest thing to someone who was ill, despite what it is that they did to get ill in the first place. He should have waited until later.

Darius seemingly disappeared. Ema said something about not being able to find him when she decided she was lonely and wanted someone to talk to. She must talk to Darius the most, considering that they were both laguz and they were actually working together before they two Daein boys joined them. Kaetar didn't have any idea where that raven could have gone, but as far as he knew, Darius probably had something to take care of. He just didn't know what.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, pulling the prince out of his thoughts to answer it. When he opened the door, he found Syrin, who immediately welcomed himself inside. "What are you doing here?" Kaetar asked.

"We need to talk." Uh-oh. That sentence never met well, and Kaetar immediately became nervous. Syrin raised a brow at him. "We just need to discuss what you and the Duke had planned for getting out of here. We can't be seen by the soldiers, and we're lucky enough as it that no one got a warrant to search this place. I suggest we don't delay any longer."

"We can leave as soon as Darius gets back and as soon Loiya recovers," the prince answered almost without thinking.

"We don't have time to wait for Darius. The fact that we are going to the ruins didn't change, and he knows that. If anything, that's where he'll look first when he realizes that we aren't here. As for Loiya, the fever is gone; he just needs to recover his strength, and all he needs to do is eat," the leader muttered. He really did think of everything, and he was on top of Loiya's condition as well – not even Kaetar was completely updated on that.

"The Duke was going to arrange a carriage, or well, he already did. It was ready a little while ago so we can leave whenever we want," Kaetar mumbled back. Syrin seemed mildly impressed.

"You're useful for all materialistic things, aren't you? You have the money and the charisma to get anything we need." He was far too excited about that development in Kaetar's opinion, and any hint of excitement just looked strange to Kaetar. He actually cracked something akin to a smile, and he was actually chuckling. He didn't know the leader well enough to know what would have caused excitement the bossy, cynical bundle of joy that was Syrin, but Kaetar had to be admit he was at least curious.

"I'm trying to be more useful than that!"

"That will take a while yet. Even if you can read the tomes, you still have to learn how to cast, and that in itself can be long and tedious, especially for someone like you. Your only form of leverage is the fact you're related to Micaiah – and even then, that's pretty watered down. The average person who wants to be a mage has to study and practice for years to be able to use magic effectively," Syrin explained, dampening Kaetar's mood. The prince wanted to do something – he was tired of taking a back seat when the others were outside defending themselves and him. Syrin couldn't fight, but he could use a staff, and even if it hurt him to use that staff, wielding a staff was at least useful.

And what could Kaetar do? Provide a bed at night?

"Then why should I bother?" Kaetar hung his head. He felt like he was talking to his father again – it was always about what he did wrong, and not what about he could do.

"You're very emotional, aren't you? Are you sure you'll be able to handle this?"

"No," Kaetar muttered, keeping his head down. "But I'm too curious. If you had not promised to give me information, then I would have kept going to Gallia. I was going to go all over Tellius if that what it took to learn about Soren. Being around you is the perfect opportunity, and I just can't give that up – no matter how insensitive you are to anyone's feelings!"

Syrin didn't answer, which only made Kaetar feel even worse. He hated how Syrin never denied or proved anything. "You can't let petty emotions cloud your vision. That's how I functioned best. I was skilled with tactics because I was able to say what I mean; I didn't hide anything behind sweet words, and the fact that I can leave emotions behind is why..." Syrin suddenly stopped, then shook his head, as if he was getting rid of a memory.

"Why what?"

"It's nothing," he answered quickly, then started walking away. Kaetar let him walk away; he would usually peruse, but Syrin didn't look like he was in the mood to answer any more questions. In fact, he seemed depressed. Kaetar didn't want to push it.

"What's wrong with him?" Arianna suddenly asked from outside the door.

"I dunno, but what are you doing here?" the prince asked, rising an eyebrow. How did she always manage to sneak up on him like that?

"I just came to get you for dinner. Did he want to come?"

"Nah, I doubt it. He hasn't before, and I doubt that will change now. Let's go," Kaetar answered, taking her hand and leaving the room with her. The two approached the mage of their group, who was leaning against the wall, looking out towards the window.

"Ah, is it dinner yet, milady?" Nicholas asked as they walked past him.

"How very fancy of you, Nicholas! You're invited to dinner like always," she answered. He nodded, bowed, and raced past them. At the dinner table, he spotted Nicholas sitting with the Duke, talking about something that he couldn't quite hear. He took the other seat beside the Duke, while Arianna sat down beside him. The food here was basically the food that he was served in Daein, the main differences being the spices that were used.

"When did you plan on leaving, Kaetar?" the Duke asked as he took a sip of water.

"Tonight or early in the morning. This will be my last dinner here, either way," the prince answered. Nicholas looked slightly disappointed, but he quickly recovered his chipper mood.

"Ah. I don't want to kick you out, but I can't hold off the soldiers for long. They've been here every day, and soon, they'll come with a warrant. I fear for your safety," he muttered.

"Well, you have a right to be, but we'll fine," Nicholas chimed in. "He's in good hands, and once we get to the root of the problem, our names will be cleared."

"Either way, the carriage is ready whenever you decide to depart. I have a volunteer that offered to steer the carriage for you."

"Thanks, sir," Nicholas answered. Kaetar emptied his water instead, preferring to let Nicholas talk if he wanted to talk. The prince didn't care; he could only stay cheery after what Syrin said for so long. It was nice to be distracted for a while, but he couldn't help but to think of Syrin, not only for the words that he said, but for the words that he didn't say. Kaetar found it suspicious that Syrin would suddenly just cut himself off the way he did.

"Kaetar, are you feeling alright? It would be a shame if you feel ill just as Loiya got better," Arianna mumbled, waving her hand in front of his face. He was daydreaming – utterly lost in his own thoughts – and must have missed part of the conversation. There was no other reason for anyone to look at him like that.

"I'm fine, just thinking about something," he answered back.

"Sorry I'm late. Is there anything left?" a quiet voice asked from behind. Kaetar turned around and nearly jumped out of his seat. It was Loiya standing behind him, his lance pointed down towards the floor. He looked significantly better; the colour returned to his skin, the dark circles under his eyes were gone, and he was smiling. He patted Kaetar on the back, then slide into the chair beside Arianna.

"Yes... You! I need another plate here as soon as possible!" the Duke shouted, making one of the waiters run into the kitchen. "When was the last time you ate?"

"I haven't had anything solid to eat in the last three days or so, so I'm looking forward to some real food now," Loiya answered with a grin. As soon as the plate was placed in front of him, the bodyguard threw any mannerism aside and dug into his food like a starved tiger. No one bothered to point it out or correct him – who would at that point? Loiya needed all the strength he could get, and that was painfully obvious.

"And I guess I should say thanks for letting us stay. I don't think I would have been able to recover on the road," the bodyguard, taking a break to sip some water.

"Anything for Kaetar, really. He asked for a place to stay for himself and his friends, despite the conditions of their stay. I can't just turn that down," the Duke muttered. "However, I do hope that you know what you're doing. If I hear that anyone of you died, I'll make sure you regret it from wherever you went."

"That's encouraging," Kaetar muttered. He put his fork down, then stood up, and excused himself from the table. Loiya looked confused; he was eating but it was also his job to look after him, and Kaetar could understand why Loiya would give him a look like that. The prince held his hand up, letting him stay where he was. Kaetar didn't need Loiya right now, anyway; he was in a huge home full of guards, which meant that eyes were everywhere.

Kaetar climbed the stairs back up to his room. As soon as he made it to the top, he was overwhelmed by a wave of dizziness, which the prince figured came from another vision. His knees felt weak, and he only managed a couple of steps forward before his vision melted into Soren's perspective.

_Soren was standing around the table, his eyes constantly coming back to one of the windows in the area. Kaetar didn't know where this vision was at; it didn't look like the tent of the meeting, and now that he thought of it, he didn't recognize anyone but the younger Ike from the desert and the women with the braid. He saw two children, a skinny man in white, a taller man with green hair and matching armour, a slightly shorter but wider boy with dark green hair, one with red hair tied into a pony tail, and a muscular man with blonde hair and heavy armour stood beside the redhead. Kaetar also saw what appear to the leader of the group; a man with an orange cape, and brown hair. He looked the oldest, and wasn't notably muscular, but he still had an air about him that demanded respect._

_He noted the map on the table, and the stone walls, and realized he must have in a fort. It was clear that Kaetar missed part of their conversation, but the memory continued as normal, with no hiccups despite what he missed._

"_So, I would say this confirms her identity as Princess Crimea, wouldn't you?" Soren asked, facing the leader. The leader took a deep breath._

"Yes, but what do we do now? I'd like to hear the opinion of everyone here," he announced, turning his head towards the only adult women in the group – the one Kaetar recognized from a previous vision. "Titania, I'd like to hear from you first."

"The blame for this war rests on Daein. If we ally ourselves with them, the company's reputation will surely suffer. Conversely, if we deliver Princess Crimea safely, our stock will rise in the eyes of our primary employers. Our road is clear," she declared. While her words stung, Kaetar could only swallow his Daein pride and continue to watch. He knew Daein wouldn't ever want to invade another country again, but he couldn't deny that it did happen once, and he couldn't change that.

"Soren, how about you?"

_"There's nothing to think about. We must deliver the princess to Daein immediately," Soren muttered, avoiding the other group member's gaze._

_"Even if Crimea is in the right?" Soren's attention immediately turned towards the leader. Soren's opinion differed from Titania's, and Kaetar was sure that Soren knew he had to explain his logic. Kaetar could see where Syrin was coming from; sometimes you did have to leave emotions out of it, but there did seem to be a thin line where it seemed downright rude._

"We are mercenaries. Our actions are dictated only by self-interest. If we want to ensure our future, we need Daein in our debt. They will win this war, after all, and nothing else serves us better."

_The leader made no comment, but he seemed to consider Soren's opinion nonetheless._

The vision suddenly stopped, and just when he had a chance to learn more about Crimea's history - but his disappointment was short lived. He was lying down on the floor, and he quickly realized that for once, no one was around to harass him about fainting. He stood up quickly, just in time for a guard to approach him from the side while he dusted himself off.

"Are you alright, Prince Kaetar?"

"Just call me Kaetar – I'm not your prince, so you can drop the title," he muttered back, looking at the guard in the eye. "But I'm fine. I just tripped on the way up the stairs."

"I hate it when that happens – tripping on the stairs, I mean. It's always when you expect that there is one more step when there really isn't," the guard muttered quietly, almost as if he was afraid of being overheard. Kaetar didn't expect that the guard would actually stop addressing him as a prince, and he didn't expect the guard to actually relate to him. It brought a smile to Kaetar's face, and the guard smiled back, then patted him on the back. "Can you handle a bruise, or do you need to visit a healer?"

"I can handle a bruise. Thanks, though."

"I'm just being a good host," the guard answered with a shrug. "But if you're fine, then I'll leave you alone."

Kaetar simply nodded and watched as the guard walked away, then headed back towards his own room. The tome was still open on the desk, begging him to come to the desk, but in the end, he closed the tome and tossed it on the bed. He saw no point in studying magic for any longer; he just didn't have the heart for it, but for the time being, he decided to get down what he could about the vision. He didn't want to forget any details, especially know that he had a new name to add to his list – and that was Titania.

The prince was about half done his recording when Loiya walked into his room. It wasn't a surprise for Loiya to come in and out as he pleased – both of them shared a room in Daein, so going in and out of your own room was given. "Are you ready to go? Syrin is being impatient."

Of course Syrin would be impatient, and he would want to leave immediately. Kaetar nodded and closed the book. "Yes, but are we really going to get caught if we stayed for one day? The Duke wouldn't sell us out," the prince muttered as he slung one his bags over his shoulders.

"That doesn't mean – look out!" Loiya shouted, diving at Kaetar. The prince hit the floor with Loiya laying down on top of him as a shower of glass rained down on them. The bodyguard cursed, slowly removing himself off of Kaetar.

"Was that an attempt on my life?" Kaetar asked as his eyes fell on the arrow that dug itself in the floor. He was suddenly very panicked – the men before did want to capture him, but he never thought that anyone wanted him gone. Loiya shook his head and dragged Kaetar out of the room quickly.

"I think that was... an attempt on my life," the bodyguard muttered. "I was the one who killed the soldiers, and I'm sure that there are other soldiers out there who seek revenge."

"That's-"

"You don't understand. You train, eat and sleep among other countless amount of men in the military. The other men become your brothers, and if one of them dies, you do feel like you lost a family member. I bet they're still after us because of what happened anyway, but they don't want me alive," Loiya growled. If he was frightened by the prospects of soldiers turning him into a target, he didn't show it.

"Loiya!" Syrin shouted. "What as that?"

"Someone just tried shooting at me with an arrow. I'm kind of surprised that it managed to go through the window and hit the floor."

"How do we get out then? If there are more men outside waiting for us..." Kaetar trailed off. They had to leave, but if they are being shot at, then the building would be the safest place to be.

"We need the carriage to be pulled up-" Syrin was cut off by a scream. "Ignore it! We have to get out of here," he muttered, breaking into a run. Kaetar, with one bag, and Loiya, with the other, quickly followed. Another window was shattered by an arrow that pierced the wall, and the prince could feel the glass shards crack under his feet. He didn't think the arrow was aimed at anyone, but rather, was fired to scare them and force them out. If that was their plan, they were following right into their arms.

"What about Ema and Nicholas?" Kaetar panted. Syrin opened his mouth to answer, but he was interrupted by yet another scream and the echo of a loud caw. That had to be Darius out there, trying to buy them time – he didn't know any other bird laguz that would actually care.

They reached the stairs and scampered down. The main doors were in sight, with Ema and Nicholas waiting at each side. "Syrin! There are wyvern riders out there with bowman," Ema reported.

"They use wyverns to attack us without every stepping foot on the property," Syrin growled, holding onto his arm. Kaetar had no idea that Crimea even had wyverns for battle - there were wyverns in Crimea, but only for delivery purposes, as far as he knew. "Nicholas, do you have your thunder tome?"

"Uhh... I had it back in the room..." Kaetar muttered.

"Heh... no mage ever brings just one tome! I have another!" he smirked, pulling another yellow book from his tunic. It had a different pattern than the first tome did, which Kaetar remembered meant that it was a stronger book.

"Can you actually hit the target with that?" Syrin asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Don't doubt my abilities, Syrin!" Nicholas smirked. He approached the door and opened it a crack. He had to be very careful to keep himself hidden from the bowmen on wings, but he had to be able to see his target as well. He shook his head and closed the door. "It's no use. I can't actually see them now. "

"Maybe there was only the two..." Kaetar muttered, thinking about to the screams he heard. There were two, and they were very distinct. If Darius had struck the riders, then the maybe the wyverns fell and took the bowmen out as well. Kaetar snapped out his thoughts when the door flew open, and Darius walked in. He was panting, and his a cut on his arm and cheek, but he was otherwise unharmed.

"I thought you would have left by now," the raven muttered, his wings twitching slightly.

"Loiya only recovered very recently. We had to wait for him to recover, or risking losing a fighter completely. We need all of the help we can get since not all of us are capable of battle," Syrin muttered, looking away. He was still clutching his left arm, as if he was blaming it for his inability to do anything but stay out of the battle.

"Don't be sorry, you two," Ema muttered. "The region in Gallia where I came from, all laguz were trained to defend themselves, and I know that's not the case with all beroc. That's not even the case in all of Gallia; it was just my region."

"But I feel like I should know," Kaetar answered with a frown.

"If you are thinking of the King Ashnard knowing participating in battle, you must consider the fact that he was crazy. If it wasn't for everyone else dying of illness, I doubt he would have been King at all," Syrin answered. "The laguz kings are the only ones who know anything of battle these days anyway."

"But... never mind," the prince muttered. It didn't have much to do with Daein's history – that was the past and he was in the present, so he knew not to dwell on it – but more of the fact that he felt like he was burden. He had the gold to pay for their needs and that was it – the rest of the group had to go out of their way to make sure that he was alright. That was what made him feel bad.

"Did you clear the area of the wyverns, Darius?"

"Only saw two... and they were actually not part of the military. They had no armour whatsoever. The archers with them were a different story, but we're clear to keep going."

"I thought you birds had a hard time seeing in the dark," Syrin muttered.

Darius glared at him. "You can't miss wyverns! They're huge!" he countered. "We just need to get in the carriage."

"I need to talk to the Duke first," Kaetar chimed in, shaking his head.

"Ignore him! He knew what it meant to take us in, and we have to go!" Syrin countered as the Duke walked into the main lobby. He looked fine, just a little shaken up, and Arianna, who was at his side, who was more or less in the same state.

"He's right. He has quite the tongue, but that doesn't make his words any less true. I know that you were on the run, and I knew that I would be hounded to give you up... just not this way. No one was hurt-" Darius growled at this comment, but didn't say anything else, "and windows are easy to replace." Kaetar bit his lips. He knew that there was more. "But that is not to say that you're off the hook. You'll have to leave immediately. I do believe that this time, they will have the right to search this place and I will not have the means to stop them, and I highly doubt that in the future, you can continue to rely on this place to protect you. Until your name is cleared, I'm afraid that you can't come back," Duke Tyre demanded.

"Father, no! You can't possibly let that happen! Do you really think that the six of them can survive against the entire Crimean army? You're sending them their death!" she growled, her eyes flaring with anger.

"Arianna, letting them stay here is no better. If they do come to collect them, then they're putting you at risk. Kaetar's smart enough to stop if it gets too rough. He could always return to Daein and his father will bail him out of any mess, and I'm sure that the others knew what they signed up for," her father countered.

"Listen, Arianna, can we talk alone for a second?" Kaetar asked, surprising both the Duke and his daughter. She simply nodded and led Kaetar into a small room which appeared to be a large closet. There were no windows, and the prince was sure that he was standing beside a broom.

"Look... I don't disagree with your father, but I want you to know that I have no intentions of dying. When you see me next, after this, I'll take you back to Daein and we can live together like planned," Kaetar mumbled quietly. She was silent, and Kaetar simply couldn't stand it.

"Do you love me?" Arianna asked suddenly, surprising Kaetar. He didn't know how to answer. He didn't know her; she was pretty and clingy, and while she appeared to love him, he didn't feel the same, but only because he didn't know her personally. He really did want to love her; he was going to marry her to please his father, but he also couldn't stand to break her heart. She was already so excited, and she was head over heels for him.

Acting upon instinct, Kaetar leaned in and locked his lips on top of hers. He suddenly felt uncomfortably warm in his clothes as she sank into the kiss, her body closing the gap between them. Kaetar pulled away moments later. Arianna's face was bright red, and he was sure that his face was also the same shade of red, but a kiss was the best promise he could make. He would come back, and she would know that he was serious about it.

"Kaetar! We need to go!" someone shouted from the other side of the door. Kaetar hugged her quickly, and with a silent agreement to never speak of it again, they left the room together. It was Loiya standing on the other side of the door. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," he answered with a nod as he headed towards the door. "Remember what I said, Arianna!" he shouted back.

Kaetar found himself outside. It was windy, and the guards were stacking crates inside the carriage. "It was Syrin's idea. We have to get in so they can stack those in front of us and make it look like that they're delivering something instead of hulling us around."

It was going to be a long ride.

* * *

_As always, please review, especially if you catch a mistake.  
_


	10. Along for the Ride

_Kaetar never saw a woman so freighting before. She had long, green hair and crazed eyes. She wore black armour that not only managed to protect her, but hugged every curve on her body, and in Kaetar's experience, that was something that armour wasn't meant to do. Her horse was black and decorated in red, and the lance she wielded was one that Kaetar never saw before – it was completely red, and the tip looked like it was made of fire._

_It reminded him of something; back in Ashnard's time, one of his Four Riders wielded a lance of 'arcane might' and he knew that this had to be her. But for the life of him, he couldn't remember her name!_

_Her eyes fell on Soren. She cracked a smiled, and laughed, tightening her grip on her fearsome lance. "You... That mark on your brow... That's not a charm of the dead, is it? You're no Spirit Charmer! Hmph! You may be able to fool others with that, but not me. It's because we're the same, see?"_

Soren growled, almost ripping his tome open. "...The same? Don't be ridiculous. I'm nothing like you. You kill for sport, and hide your fear behind a wall of bravado," he muttered, raising his hand. "Now let me show you true fear!"

_Green blades appeared suddenly, cutting in her skin. She growled; she obviously wasn't used to anyone making that kind of move on her. She raised her lance over her head and threw it._

Kaetar suddenly jerked away, panting heavily. His neck and back were sore, just like he was camping outside, but he wasn't camping outside; he was stuck with five other people in a small cart with only enough room to stretch slight and sleep. There wasn't much breathing room – some of the boxes had cracks between them, and there were small holes about the size of a coin that covered the top part of the carriage and went around all sides. It was a pattern – they were there before they climbed in.

He could barely see, as only a little bit of moonlight managed to get in through. He could see Syrin, and he realized that the leader was still awake, huddled up in the corner of the carriage.

"A nightmare?" the other male asked. Kaetar looked around, and saw that no one else was awake.

"Yes... what are you still doing up?"

"I'm not tired," Syrin answered.

"Do you ever sleep?"

"When I need to. There is a lot that one can get done at night when everyone is a sleep."

"You're crazy."

"Perhaps but your standards. You've never had to work a day in your life, have you?" Syrin muttered, almost mocking. He shifted his position, and it was hard to see his face and attempt to read his expression. "Don't look at me like that, you know it's true."

"How can you see me?"

"I have a better view then you do. You're on the moon's side, so most of the light is hitting you," the leader muttered, his position shifting yet again.

"Are we still going to the ruins?" Kaetar asked, deciding that he didn't really care about the moon's position.

"Yes, that's where we're heading now," he muttered. "No one has set foot in it for at least fifty years now. It's in a state of utter disrepair."

"The ruins?" another voice chimed in. Darius yawned, but he was unable to do anything else. Ema had her head on his shoulder, Nicholas was right beside him, and he definitely didn't have enough room to stretch his wings or legs. He was probably more cramped than anyone in the carriage, due to his wings and his tallness. Loiya would probably be in the same boat if it was not for the fact that he was used to sleeping in corners, which Kaetar reminded himself was not a good thing, but it came in handy sometimes.

"Yes, the ruins," Syrin muttered in answer.

"I heard that people don't go in there because it's haunted," Darius smirked. "They say that Soren, the tactician, still roams the place, filling out paperwork for the commander that won't come back."

"That's ridiculous! Soren and Ike left Tellius and NEVER returned. If Soren was haunting something, it would Ike's grave, not the place he left," Syrin growled. He was overly defensive, in Kaetar's opinion, but Syrin had to be a real historian, and anything that got history wrong would probably agitate him.

"It was just a rumour! Calm down," Darius chuckled.

"I thought it was a nice story," Kaetar mumbled.

Syrin huffed, while Darius lifted up one his legs. "High five! With our feet though, I can't lift my arms," he mumbled. Kaetar laughed and shook his head.

"Thanks for the offer, but I don't want to miss and kick Ema. I don't want to die."

Darius chuckled. "If she did that, Daein would go to war with Gallia, and than she would get in huge trouble for messing up."

"You guys should shut up before I stop caring about that," Ema whispered quietly, opening her eyes to glare at Kaetar for a brief moment. The prince immediately kept his mouth shut. He was considerate enough to not risk kicked Ema, but between him and Darius, he realized that the two of them were being loud, and that they were lucky that no one else woke up. Ema closed her eyes again after a considerable amount of silence, and Kaetar could only assume that she feel asleep again.

"Syrin, I have a question," he whispered. "If someone has a mark that isn't of a Spirit Charmer, what does that make them?"

"A branded. That makes them a branded," Darius answered. His voice sounded strained, like he was trying to sound indifferent and had a hard time doing so. "They're born of a laguz and a beorc, and the laguz parent will always loose their ability to shift forms. For that reason, it's said that they're cursed, but most beorc and laguz don't really seem to care now, or if they do, they don't show it."

"You don't sound like you like them," Kaetar noted.

"They make me feel uncomfortable. I can ignore it, but some habits die hard," the raven answered. "I was raised in a time where I was raised to hate beorc and the parentless, unless they had good gold on them, and then do what they wanted. Or if you see a ship, ransack it - that was another rule," he mumbled. As far as Kaetar knew, the ravens weren't not to be exactly trustworthy, and Darius made it sound like he was just a typical one. When he thought about it, Darius was a raven for hire – meaning he would do a lot so long as you had the gold.

Kaetar knew that Darius had to be better than the average raven when it came down to it. Darius saved their lives back at the mansion by taking the wyverns out, though Kaetar didn't know why he left in the first place – not to mention that they couldn't see as well in the dark or something. Then why was he flying the dark? Kaetar pushed the thought out of his mind.

"This is why I don't trust you," Loiya mumbled suddenly. Kaetar almost jumped in surprise – he thought he was sleeping!

"I knew it. I'm trying to change, but all I can do is fight. I sell myself for a way of life. I won't take it against you personally," the raven muttered.

"Are you going to wake up everyone up at least once?" Syrin shouted in a whisper.

"I'm never really asleep, but since you were on the topic of a raven,'s... duties, I thought I'd put in my two coins," the bodyguard muttered.

"Well, that's why you get headaches," Syrin mumbled.

"Not like you sleep very much either. In fact, I've never seen you sleep."

"Do you see me with a migraine?"

Kaetar had to admit that was a good point. Sure, Syrin only slept 'when necessary', but he never seemed to fall ill, and if he did, he had to be pretty good to hide it from everyone else. Loiya on the other hand, was taken out for several day because of a fever, and even at home when everything was more relax, Loiya still got migraines. Sure, Syrin will reach a point where he will crash and burn, but Loiya reaches that point way more often.

But suddenly, he didn't care about that. He could feel himself get tired again, and he knew that as long as everyone was talking, he wouldn't do that. And really, if they were hiding themselves behind a wall of boxes that was at least three boxes thick in order to avoid getting caught, then they really missed the idea of hiding.

"This is getting ridiculous! Can't we be quiet before Nicholas wakes up from his beauty sleep or we're caught? We're not acting like cargo," Kaetar shouted in a whisper. He was met with dead silence, so he took the time to curl into a ball on the floor, hug his knees to his chest, and fell asleep. It was comfortable, but they really did lack room for much more.

* * *

He woke up again sometime in the afternoon by more talking. Judging by the fact that he was alive, and everyone else was accounted for, they made through the night with no more problems. Loiya looked tired, Darius just looked plain miserable, Syrin was his usual neutral self, and Ema and Nicholas looked chipper and well rested. He was sure that Ema, being a cat laguz, could just about fall asleep anywhere. Nicholas looked too much like a child to have gone through anything serious, but he obviously had been on the road for sometime if he could do the same thing as Ema.

"You didn't hear a thing last night? They were up talking about complete nonsense!" Ema muttered. Nicholas shook his head.

"I'm a really heavy sleeper," the mage admitted. "It does wonders for your body to get the proper sleep!"

Darius chuckled and Loiya rolled his eyes. Darius, though miserable looking, seemed completely giddy. Perhaps it was the lack of the sleep – he flew back from who knows where, saved them, then proceeded to stay up all night talking. Maybe he fell asleep for a little while again, but Kaetar guess that he didn't get enough of it.

"Where are we?" Kaetar asked as he sat up and rubbed one of his eyes.

"At the ruins. We're being 'unloaded' so to speak," Syrin answered.

Kaetar anxiously looked towards the box wall, and finally realized that there was a hole and sunlight was seeping through the hole where a box had once been. "You mean... freedom?" Kaetar asked in a whisper, unable to contain his sudden excitement. It wasn't that he hated anyone with him, it was just that he never wanted to be that close to them for so long ever again. He shouldn't have to fear that one of his comrades was going to kill him a sleepless rage.

Being alone for a while in fresh air sounded great.

Kaetar was the first one outside. He was hit by the fresh air, and the sight of a large, stone fort towering him excited him to no end. It wasn't because it was big – he lived in bigger – but it was the fact that it was a big part of Crimea's history was what excited him. It was the amateur historian inside of him coming out. Kaetar ran for the fort, and ducked under wooden boards that were meant to keep people out.

The interior of the fort was mostly covered in a thick layer of dust, but Kaetar was surprised to find paw prints and the tiny prints of a bird's feet in the dust. It was a sign of the life, and he didn't expect to find that – he expected everything to be frozen in place. In every other sense, it still was. There were bowls in the sink, still expecting to be washed. Chairs were still out, expecting someone to push them, or expecting that people would one day sit down again. When he walked around and found the barracks, he found that some of the beds were unmade, while others had the corners tucked in, and he swore that some of them were made tight enough that he could bounce a gold coin of them if it wasn't for the layer of dust that covered them. He could see storage rooms, and found rusted weapons left exactly where they've been placed and never touched again.

It looked like everyone got up and left, then never returned; that was what got to Kaetar the most. It looked like people would still return, even though Kaetar knew that they never would. He could feel pressure behind his eyes, just thinking about what it could have been. This place could have still been active, but for some reason, the mercenaries disappeared.

Kaetar could also see the damage done by the storm that he heard about; there was a hole in the ceiling, and part of the wall had collapsed. Syrin followed him, and he looked surprisingly sad; he wasn't frowning, but Kaetar could still see the sadness behind those eyes. He looked like he didn't want to be here, even though this was his suggestion in the first place, and was one of the many things that made the leader suspicious – not that Kaetar thought that Syrin was going to turn his back on them, but he wasn't exactly being truthful to them.

What did he have to hide?

"Have you been here before?" Kaetar asked, turning towards Syrin.

"Hm?" Syrin replied a moment later. The prince's words – or simply the fact that he said them – eventually seemed to get through to him. He was distracted, and Kaetar couldn't ever remember a time where the leader was distracted.

"Something the matter, Syrin?" Nicholas asked after a fit of coughing. Kaetar hadn't noticed the rest coming in, and realized that he was almost just as distracted as Syrin was. The laguz were holding a cloth to their face, and Nicholas seemed to be reacting to the dust badly, but Loiya was relatively fine.

"I'm fine," he barked back.

"Okay!" Nicholas coughed again. "Sheesh! It's hard to breathe in here! Everything we do in here just kicks all that dust back up."

"Did you expect it to be clean? It's abandoned, after all!" Loiya mumbled. "If you got your hands dirty every once in a while, it wouldn't be so bad."

"I got my hands dirty before, thank you very much!"

"And that's why you use a tome instead of an actual weapon?" Loiya muttered, rolling his eyes. Kaetar was reminded of Loiya's irritability before he collapsed on the way to Syrin and Darius' location, and how it was Nicholas' constant chatter that sent him over the edge. Loiya didn't look ill, but the prince was sick of Loiya bickering with him.

"Not everyone can use a weapon, Loiya. 'Sides, you were stabbing everyone with sticks at the age of three – you were meant to wield a lance!" Nicholas answered with a smile, and Loiya shrank back. Kaetar couldn't tell if Loiya found the smile or the fact that Nicholas even knew his childhood creepier – it was his general reaction to anything that disgusted or spooked him.

"Just who the hell do you think you are?" Loiya asked suddenly.

"Loiya! Nicholas! Outside!" Syrin suddenly shouted, making Ema's ears twitch.

The two looked at each other, and remained quiet – apparently, neither of them wanted to leave. Syrin shook his head, and drifted off into one of the rooms. Kaetar followed him inside. There was a crack in the wall, a table in the centre with a map of Crimea and a stone on top to keep it from rolling up. The map was very detailed, but Kaetar could see that it was very old – some of the villages on the map didn't exist anyone. He knew that they had been absorbed by other towns, or they were destroyed and never restored. These were the larger villages, of course, otherwise he wouldn't have heard about it all the way in Daein. There were other maps too, he noticed, but they were rolled up and bunched together in a crate beside the table.

Kaetar recognized the room, even as dusty and aged as it was – the meeting room that he saw in his vision at the castle. Syrin gingerly touched the map, tracing his finger from an unlabelled dot to another dot, and Kaetar could see how gently Syrin was being. The leader treated the map as if it would disintegrate if he pressed down any harder. Syrin's finger stopped at a place in Begnion, where it was void of any of the little trees on the map. He kept his finger there, as if he was complementing on going there, even though Begnion was quite the detour, and it was deep in Begnion as well.

It dawned on him that the area Syrin was complementing was, in fact, now a country. He didn't remember the name, and he knew it was rather isolated. He didn't even who their leader was; he never showed up for any of the meetings. Syrin then moved his finger up near the upper coastline of Crimea. "Is that where we are going?"

"Yes... this town still exists. I've studied there a couple of years back," Syrin mumbled. The dot was labelled as Port Toha. Toha... it sounded familiar, but Kaetar didn't know from where, and he figured that it must have been a passing mention. Either way, if they wanted to go through into Begnion, they would need a boat if they wanted to avoid mountain paths, which carried problems of their own. The boats were used more often for a reason. "It's one of the biggest ports in Crimea; that's why it has lasted for so long."

"How old is it?"

"I do not know for sure, but the Greil Mercenaries took a boat from Crimea to Begnion, and the port they went through was Toha. There was an incident there, involving a laguz, but the history sources we had did not say much about it," the leader mumbled with a shrug. He seemed somewhat fond of lecturing Kaetar about history – he wouldn't bother answering the questions if they bothered him.

"So more than a 150 years old, huh?"

"Correct. It was well established before the mercenaries passed through it," Syrin answered, his eyes focused on the map. "Now, we should probably leave before something in here breaks while we're still inside. I do not want to responsible for any damage that Loiya and Nicholas may cause."

"Loiya's my responsibility," Kaetar mumbled as he observed everything in the room one last time before he had to duck under the boards and squeezed himself in the back of the carriage again. Syrin had taken the time to debrief everyone on their next destination and plans; he was looking to recruit more people into their rebellion. He didn't know whether or not Toha would take kindly to them – they hadn't cared in the past apparently – but he wanted as many people in the rebellion as possible, and a trusted person to control the situation and await orders. After that, he wanted to leave Crimea and head for Begnion. Syrin seemed confident, but Kaetar knew that Syrin was good at masking his emotions, and if he was nervous, he didn't show it.

"I don't like that place," Ema muttered suddenly as the carriage began moving. "Toha, I mean."

Loiya folded his arms in front of his chest and drew his legs closer to his chest. "What's so bad about Toha, again? You," he pointed at Syrin, "said that in the past, Toha didn't take kindly to Ike's group or whatever, but why would a cat have a reason to hate it?" Loiya asked.

"...There was an incident there. I was told when I was training; I heard a passing mention and harassed everyone to give me the full story. There were laguz travelling with Ike and his companions, three of them. Since Crimea was occupied by Daein, who hunted laguz for sport, they had to disguise themselves in order to avoid being questioned," Ema started with a yawn.

"We don't do that anymore," Kaetar mumbled.

"You're from Daein, and I know you would defend Daein like I would Gallia, but it doesn't change the fact that Daeins did hunt the laguz at some point in their history," Ema hissed. Kaetar bit his lips, but he didn't say more. He didn't have to, and he felt he didn't even belong in the group in this particular moment. He was from Daein, and since this was a history lecture, the laguz would tell it as it was, whether it offended him or not.

It was hard keeping his present views and opinions out of any situation, however.

"Anyway, one of the laguz was somehow discovered, and the people of Toha quickly sold Ike and his friends out to the Daeins there. Those people would rather do what benefit themselves and themselves only; they didn't care about their country or their countrymen. It's disgusting! And how will I know that laguz would be accepted now? They were quick to sell us out before!"

"If Daeins could make peace with us, then Toha can make peace with us. I personally have a hawk friend in Daein, and he's very happy there," Darius chimed with a smile. He pulled the ribbon out of his hair and shook his hair loose. "Ema, do you want me to braid your hair for you?"

Ema's ears shot up, as if she couldn't believe what he was asking. "Who do I look like to you? I could care less about how I look! My hair is in a ponytail to keep it out of my face; I do not need it to look nice!"

"Ah, but there is no reason why your hair cannot be nice and functional-" Nicholas started, but Kaetar suddenly hushed everyone.

"Guys! Look! Syrin's sleeping!" Kaetar shouted in a whisper. Everyone turned and looked at the leader, who was sitting up with his head leaning back. His eyes were closed, and his breathing was soft. No wonder why he was so quiet!

"My goodness! He is!" Nicholas exclaimed, then clasped a hand over his mouth. "Sorry! That was my outside voice!"

"I guess he reached his limit," Loiya mumbled.

"Naturally. All creatures have to sleep. Syrin can holdout longer without sleep, but that doesn't mean he doesn't need it and won't fall asleep where he stands if he's tired enough," Darius mumbled as he began to braid his own hair. "It's a pity that he doesn't sleep more. He might be more cheerful."

"I can't imagine Syrin being cheerful," Kaetar mumbled.

"Well, perhaps he's already had more than his share of life," Darius mumbled, the corners of his lips twitching.

"He can't be older than Nicholas," Kaetar countered. Darius was acting just like Syrin; he knew more than he was letting on, but he refused to say more than the bare minimum. Did there always have to be a Syrin?

"Perhaps, but if experiences are... tough, then he may already have enough of life. If that's the case, then I wonder why he's hanging on," the raven mumbled quietly. Kaetar didn't often think about what it was that made Syrin the way he was, and as far as he could tell, he had to agree with Darius. Even Loiya nodded his head in agreement, and Kaetar realized that life had to be tough for Loiya too. Most seventeen-year-olds weren't enlisting in the military, and most of seventeen-year-olds didn't have to dedicate their lives to the royal family unless they had no other choice. Loiya was good friends with Kaetar, but being friends didn't push someone to do sign up for what Loiya did.

On the other hand, Kaetar was pampered and spoiled, and that was his way of life until he was about twelve, then his father began pushing the prince towards being more like a king and less like a prince.

"Are you alright, Kaetar?" Loiya asked, gently shaking him.

"Yes, I was just thinking..."

"You do that a lot," Ema mumbled quietly with a shrug.

"That can't be bad," Loiya mumbled.

"Shhhh," Kaetar reminded with a finger to his lips. "'Sides, we need to pretend to be cargo."

"There goes your royal speech," Nicholas shrugged. "You're starting to sound more a common person."

"Shh!"

Nicholas waved a dismissal hand while Syrin stirred slightly in his sleep. Kaetar was surprised that he was still asleep; he must have been really tired, but he didn't look like a heavy sleeper. It was just unnatural.

* * *

They had to stop for a break. It was brought to the group's attention that the horses needed a break; they had been walking all of last night and for most of the day. They deserved a break, as far as Kaetar was concerned. They were unpacked near a forested area, and Loiya pitched up their tent and they bedrolls, though they didn't have enough room for everyone to enjoy the tent.

"I think we can fit three if someone mind sleeping closer to the ground," Loiya mumbled as he surveyed the space in the tent. It was a given that he and Kaetar would get the bedrolls; they brought them, so they would use them.

"Well, I personally don't want to spend anymore time with men and girly men for today. I'll stay outside and patrol when the sun goes down. I have good vision in the dark, unlike some bird I know," Ema mumbled with a smirk.

Syrin rolled his eyes.

"That's harsh – I saved all of you at the mansion," Darius mumbled. "I can fight in the dark."

"You had the moon light. It's cloudy tonight, so I would rather have Ema patrol in the night where no such light exists," Syrin mumbled in response.

"Fine. I'll patrol until she does, then. I'll sleep behind the crates when the time comes; at least I'll have more room for my wings without so many people in there."

"I call the tent," Nicholas shouted, raising his hand. Syrin mere shrugged, obviously not caring where he slept – if he slept at all. He slept for most of the day's ride, so Kaetar doubted that the leader would be tired at all; he had his two days worth of sleep.

Once the three of them were in the tent, Nicholas immediately pulled ribbon out of his hair and shook it loose. The prince had seen Darius with his hair down all of the way, but he had never seen Nicholas with his hair down. It made him look more mature, somehow, and Kaetar couldn't quite get why. Maybe it was the way his hair framed his face, or perhaps it was the tired face that came with pulling his ponytail out.

"I have a question!" Kaetar started suddenly as Loiya was looking at the bedrolls. The prince heard a light sigh.

"What is it?" Nicholas asked, his face full of curiosity.

"How did you meet Loiya's father?"

"Yes... how did you met my father?" Loiya asked, taking a seat right beside Kaetar.

"Yes, yes, yes... perhaps that will help us get along better," the mage said with a nod. "I was actually born in Begnion, but my parents moved me to Crimea when I was about four to raise me in a more peaceful environment. As far as I know and care, Crimea is my home, you know? My story began when I was ten years old. The village I grew up in was burned to ground, but it wasn't on purpose or anything. It was an accident that started in someone's blacksmith shop, and it just spread quickly.

"I was displaced form my parents. I was outside playing, and my parents were working, and we were running away, but we never had the chance to find each other before the crowds started to panicked, and I was swept up. Even to this day, I don't know whether they're still alive or not, and if they, then they must wonder to same about me.

"I remember walking a lot and not knowing where I was going. I had the intention of finding my parents, but I eventually figured that it was hopeless, and I began looking for someone to take me in instead. I eventually found that person in Daein. He was patrolling the border, and he found me and took me to his house-"

"Was that my father?" Loiya asked, looking sympathetic.

"Yes, it was. He found me, and I met you for the first time not so long after. I mean, he was relatively young... probably in his late twenties when I met him. You were about three, and your brothers were just born. You were actually being taken care of by a nanny or something, because your mom couldn't get out of bed," Nicholas mumbled quietly. If Nicholas' story was true, than he was only twenty-four, and Kaetar couldn't say it exactly surprised him.

Loiya was still sympathetic looking. Perhaps it was because Nicholas was also away from his family, just like Loiya was; they could relate to each other now, but the mage didn't give the bodyguard anything to relate to when they first met. That must have been while Loiya was visibly uncomfortable around him; it was weird to have someone comment on your childhood when you had no memory of them.

"So, now that you know all of that, will you try not to hate me?" Nicholas asked with a smile.

"Yeah, but only if you stop making random comments about my childhood," Loiya mumbled with a growled. Nicholas merely frowned.

"But... that's hard. It reminds me of a time when things got better," the mage answered very quietly, almost too quiet for Kaetar to hear.

"You have to make an honest effort. We've both been through too much to annoy each other and screw this entire thing up. Even Kaetar's been through more than he's used to. I don't want to be caught, and I don't want anyone of us to end up getting in trouble for something that the entire group didn't do."

"Actually, Kaetar's the only innocent one. Syrin might not have killed anyone, but he definitely committed arson. I don't know if you remember Loiya, but even I killed someone to protect you all. You held your own for a while, but between your wound and your fever, you wouldn't be able to hold them off for much longer. I was surprised that you could fight like that in the first place – not that it was a bad thing, it was truly amazing!" Kaetar didn't know how Nicholas could always cheer himself up like that.

"Well, that's my job," Loiya mumbled quietly.

"I know, but you're so young! You're certainly talented for your age! Are you part of the military if you're a bodyguard?" the mage asked, his eyes wide with excitement.

"Not exactly. If there was a war, I would still have to stay with Kaetar, but I occasionally assist with training, and I wear special armour," Loiya mumbled with a shrug, turning his attention back to the bed rolls. He placed them closed together and tried to stretch them out as much as he could, but he didn't seem entirely satisfied. "Kaetar, I think we might have to share a bed roll. Or maybe you and Nicholas since I'm bigger than either of you."

It was true. Nicholas was about as tall as Loiya, but Loiya was definitely wider because of his muscles, and Nicholas was about as muscular as the prince. Kaetar would feel more comfortable with Loiya, but he would fit in a bedroll better with Nicholas since he was smaller than either of them.

Loiya wasn't really thinking when he suggested that a third person could fit in their tent. It was really only meant for two people, and they only bought two bedrolls because they never thought they would be in a group of six people. They managed to get every inn that they could, but it was a system that could only work so well.

"We can test it out. Maybe one of us can sleep in between the bed rolls? Do we have an extra blanket?" Kaetar asked as he began searching through the bags.

"I didn't bring one, but doesn't Darius have that huge coat? If he's in raven form, then he doesn't need it," Loiya replied, shaking his head. "I can sleep between you two."

"No! You need to sleep well for once!" Kaetar growled. He didn't mind sleeping in the middle once or twice; as long as he was part of the group, he wanted to drop the 'pampered prince' reputation. He refused to be a spoiled brat. "I don't mind sleeping in the middle, anyway. I sleep on rocks even in a bed roll."

"I'll ask him for the-" Nicholas was suddenly cut of by dark object flying into the tent. It hit Nicholas in the face, and he was knocked back by the weight of it. When he recovered, he held up the object, which became a dark blue coat.

"I could hear you guys!" Darius shouted from outside. "You can keep it for the night, but I want it back in the morning, got it? It's my statement!"

Curious, Kaetar took a peek outside. It was still light out, enough to see Darius and Ema without much trouble at all, but he couldn't recognize Darius for a moment. Darius always kept his hair up, and he always had a coat on, but now he was wearing a tunic that had short sleeves that exposed his arms. He was skinnier than Kaetar had expected, but the coat did make him look a lot bigger. The prince also had to guess that Syrin was smaller than he looked, as his clothes also added bulk to his frame, but he already looked small to begin with. Darius caught him peeking, but he only smirked.

"What? Do I look that different like this?"

"Yes," Kaetar replied. "I almost didn't recognize you. I mean, I've seen you with your hair down before, but...not without your complete outfit. It doesn't look bad, just different!" he added as Darius gave him a look. Kaetar scooted back into the tent. Nicholas and Loiya were already in the bedrolls when he was back, so he snuggled himself between the two bedrolls, using the spare clothes as a pillow, and Darius' jacket as a blanket. It was actually very warm, and he could see why Darius would wear it all the time. If he was going to be in the air all the time, he would want something warm too.

* * *

Kaetar woke up slowly just as the light spilled in. He felt awful; his entire body was sore, and he had a slight headache. He felt like he slept on rocks, but he didn't feel anything when he feel asleep. He thought he slept on worse, but apparently, that wasn't the case. He stretched and dragged himself out of the tent with Darius' jacket in hand. Outside, everyone was sitting near a fire; he could smell something cooking, and he knew that everyone was eating something. Loiya looked back and shook his head before standing to walk to him. "Something wrong, Loiya?" Kaetar asked, still with the tent.

"Yeah," Loiya answered. "You might not want to come to the fire. Just saying."

That just made him want to go to the fire more. He forced his sore body to make a move for it, but Loiya quickly grabbed his wrist and turned it behind his back. Kaetar shouted in pain, but Loiya kept him still. "What? What's over there that I'm not allowed to see?"

"It's not that you're not allowed, but you just wouldn't tolerate it!"

"I want to see!"

"No you don't! What do you think you smell?"

It was a good question. He sniffed the air again, and released it was the smell of cooking meat. They didn't bring meat with them, so that meant that someone found an animal or something, and now it was... Kaetar didn't want to think about it. The mere thought made him queasy. He could barely eat meat at home, because all he could imagine was a bloodied, dead, animal. Loiya let him go. "The laguz don't eat vegetables as part of their main diet. Do you want me to take the jacket?"

"Yes-" Kaetar was interrupted by the sound of a snapping twig. He was instantly silent, and looked up to see if Loiya heard the same thing. The bodyguard immediately began running towards the forested area, and Kaetar quickly followed him, driven by overwhelming curiosity. He knew it would one day lead to serious trouble, but it was something that he couldn't resist. The forested area was denser than he thought it would be, and he could barely see Loiya weaving between the trees. Kaetar shouted his name, and the bodyguard instantly stopped where he was – the prince didn't think his voice would carry, but apparently it did.

Kaetar closed the gap. It wasn't exactly hard to see where Loiya had stopped, but it was more difficult to see what exactly he was stepping on; the shade of the trees and the leaves on the ground did a good job of hiding any tripping hazard, and Kaetar was surprised that Loiya made it as far as he did without tripping. "What were you thinking?"

"I could ask the same about you. The entire purpose of having me around is so that you literally don't run into situations like this," Loiya panted, evidently exhausted.

"I was curious!"

"You always are!"

"That doesn't make it any less – what was that?" Kaetar asked, feeling his muscles tense up. He thought he saw a shadow moving behind Loiya, but he wasn't sure about anything in this forest. Was it a person or a trick of the light? But if he did hear a twig snap from outside the forest, then there was obviously someone here, and they couldn't get away that fast, especially considering how fast Loiya ran to try to catch up with them.

"No... what was it?"

"I... I don't know anymore. I thought it was shadow, but maybe it was just the trees and the wind. I think that maybe that's what I saw."

"Don't justify it!" Loiya mumbled, then he suddenly grabbed Kaetar's hand and continued to run through the forest. "Nevermind! I saw it too! That definitely wasn't just the wind!" he shouted. Kaetar could hear a twig snap again, the figure moving across in his vision, and for a moment, he saw something silver fly past them. He looked back for a brief moment, and gasped at the knife that was now embedded into a tree. Someone was definitely after them, and they were most likely alone.

It was a trap, Kaetar realized. Whoever it was made the twig snap on purpose; it wasn't because they were stupid enough to get caught, but rather that they wanted Kaetar and Loiya to come into the forest alone. Now that the prince and his bodyguard were there without the expert eyesight of the laguz, they found themselves playing a twisted game of hide-and-seek. If they weren't careful, someone was going to die – and it was hard to be careful when you couldn't see your enemy. Another flash moved past them, and Loiya picked up the pace – he saw the knife as well.

"Is that the way out?" Kaetar asked, nearly on the verge of tears from the running and the stress that one of them was, again, being hunted down. They had always worked with a target on their heads, but it never did quite bother Kaetar until he had a knife aimed at his head.

"I don't know, but we have to-" Loiya suddenly shouted as both of them stumbled down a sudden, steep hill that neither of them saw. Kaetar was in pain; he was scratched, bruised and covered in dirt leaves, but it was the type of pain that he could ignore until later. Loiya was on the ground, almost in the exact same condition, but he was panting more heavily than Kaetar was – and that was his sprint into the forest from earlier. He never had the chance to completely recover from that run before breaking into a new one.

Kaetar sat up and spat some dirt out of his mouth. He heard leaves rusting from behind, and turned around to find someone dressed in various shades of green. He was obviously a male. His face was covered by a hood, but he no sleeves and long plants. He had knifes in his hands and on his hips, but he simply stared at Kaetar. He flicked his hand and threw a knife into the space between Kaetar and Loiya – a warning.

Immediately, Kaetar got up and broken into another run, leaving Loiya behind. The other male ran after him, grazing the prince in the cheek with another knife. He had a seemingly endless supply of them. He kept running, despite his body's protests, until his feet found a patch of wet leaves, and the prince found himself on the ground once again. The stranger was on him in an instant. He could feel his weight on his back, and a knife against the back of his neck. "Don't move," he growled.

Kaetar could feel tears in his eyes. He didn't regret running; this would have happened regardless if he was with Loiya or not.

Then suddenly, the weight was gone. He raised his head, and saw that Loiya was now on him. He didn't hear him coming, and now his bodyguard was fighting for control of the knife. The male was strong enough to overpower Loiya. He gained the advantage, and he was now the one on top, his knife raised above his head. Loiya screamed as the stranger stabbed him; where his bodyguard had been stabbed, Kaetar couldn't see, but Loiya immediately stopped the struggle, and the other male jumped off. He faced Kaetar, the bloody knife raised as if he was showing it off.

"I don't know why you're here, Prince, but go back where you came from. This fight has nothing to do with you or Daein," the figure mumbled. The voice was definitely male.

The prince didn't answer, not that knew he knew how to anyway - he was too shocked that someone knew that he was a prince. They had to be a spy – there was no other way that they could have known that he was the Prince of Daein if they didn't snoop around for the answers. That just what they did – they kept their eyes sharp and their ears open for anything of interest.

"I suggest you go back to Daein, and forget about everything in Crimea, because next time, I won't spare you or your bodyguard," the stranger mumbled before dashing off again, leaving Kaetar feeling not only afraid, but angry at the same time. Who was he to tell him what to do? He didn't know anything! At least his words confirmed one thing – Loiya's wound wasn't going to kill him immediately.

"Kaetar... are you alright?" Loiya gasped.

"Fine," the prince lied. He was angry, scared, and now even confused and conflicted about what he should do. Something in his gut told him that he should return home and accept whatever punishment came his way for escaping, but something else told him that he just couldn't leave Syrin, Nicholas, Ema and Darius. He felt like they had been through too much together in order to leave them in an unresolved conflict. They would be fine, he was sure, but Kaetar would always wonder what happened.

Kaetar crawled to Loiya. He had been stabbed in the shoulder, but Kaetar was no healer, and he couldn't see how deep it was. All he could see was the blood. He didn't have a vulneray on him, so the best he could do was apply pressure, despite his dirty hands. "Is that better?"

"Yeah... it's not... too bad. If we... get out of here... I should be fine," Loiya respond in gasps. "Are we... staying in Crimea?"

Kaetar nodded. "This is just the beginning. One day, I'll learn to use a weapon, and he's going to regret that he ever told me to leave!"

* * *

_This chapter is done! I kept writing, and I forgot to post thise one. I usually post when I'm one chapter ahead, but I dove into the chapter ahead. _

_Remember to review! I don't know if I'm making these chapters too long. I first thought "Cool, 7000 words!" and now I'm thinking that it might be a little... long for one sitting? _


	11. Connections

Kaetar kept the pressure on Loiya's wound even when his fingers went cold, but he felt that he couldn't do anything else. Loiya depended on him to keep the bleeding under control. But against all odds, Loiya kept talking. It comforted the prince; as long as the bodyguard kept talking, it proved that he was going to be fine.

It didn't take long for help to arrive at all; Kaetar had figure that they would be there all day, but Ema arrived in laguz form and surprised him. She wasn't panting at all, but she quickly reverted into her human form. "I thought I smelled blood," she muttered. "How is he?"

"Still alive," Loiya responded himself. "It hurts though..."

"It doesn't look that deep. He'll be fine when we can get a vulnerary on it," she explained, then looked into the trees. "I found them! Come here and pick up Loiya!"

Kaetar wondered who she was talking to until Darius landed on the ground. "Sorry for not being able to see through trees," he mumbled sarcastically. His noses scrunched up as he looked down at Loiya. "Dang, I hate the smell of blood."

How could Darius say that? Wasn't he in a war where lots of people died or got wounded?

"Well too bad, you need to get him out of here. You can carry an injured beorc better than I can! You don't need to transform to fly! I'll take the prince back; he makes a better rider," Ema mumbled, then transformed. Kaetar got the hint and climbed onto her back. He was short enough that he didn't have to pick up his feet to ride her comfortably, and he could easily grab the fold of skin around her neck. It didn't seem to pain her at all and she took off running, leaving Darius alone with Loiya.

He was completely amazed by her speed – he never moved so fast before. No beorc would ever be able to run this fast, and for as long – she didn't even break a pant! Laguz were truly powerful.

As it turned out, Ema broke the tree line first, but Kaetar looked back and he could see that Darius was not far behind himself. He landed on the ground as Kaetar was getting off of Ema. It was the first time that Kaetar realized that his own hands were covered in Loiya's blood, and that blood was now on the back of Ema's neck. Darius seemed to have recovered his jacket on his own – Loiya must have dropped it before running it off. Darius managed not to get a single drop of blood on it but his tunic underneath was a different matter completely. The bodyguard had his eyes closed, and Kaetar didn't want to think about what it meant.

"Do you have a vulnerary close by, Syrin?"

The leader reached into his robes and pulled out the vulnerary. It was something that he carried on his person, and it was logical for him to do so. Darius gently placed Loiya on the ground and it was only then that Kaetar realized how pale he was. Syrin was quick expose Loiya's chest, using his bad arm to do just that, and examined the wound.

"Well?"

"It's not too deep, and the bleeding is slowing," Syrin mumbled as he applied the vulnerary. Kaetar watched as the wound closed in front of his eyes. Loiya was asleep – the prince thought that he was unconscious until he turned over and hugged Syrin's arm. The leader let out an annoyed growl as he struggled to remove his arm from Loiya's grip.

"He's fine," Kaetar mumbled with a laugh. Syrin managed to free his arm, and then proceeded to rub a small amount of the vulnerary on the prince's cheek. Kaetar forgot he had been injured, even if it was a small wound. He thanked Syrin, who seemed more concern with the amount of vulnerery he had left in comparison than Kaetar's current condition, but he nodded in acknowledge. He was alright, and he was alright before, so he didn't mind that Syrin didn't say anything in response – it wasn't a big deal, especially if it was concerning Syrin.

"What happened in the forest anyway? Why would you run into the forest without any weapons?" Ema questioned, putting her hands on her hips.

Kaetar went through the entire story, from the twig snapping to the warning from the knife man, and included the fact that the stranger knew who the prince was. Syrin kept his face neutral, but Kaetar figured that he was probably concerned – there was someone watching them, and who knew who they were reporting to?

The prince, on the other hand, felt bad for Nicholas. Even though he knew that Loiya was going to be fine, the thunder mage still looked sad. He obviously didn't like the idea of Loiya being injured, but nonetheless, he helped pack their tent up and the group was quickly able to move on to Toha.

* * *

Kaetar didn't know when he had fallen asleep, but when he woke up, Darius was holding a hand over his mouth. In his half-asleep state, he thought that Darius was trying to kill him, and it took him a moment to realize that the raven didn't covered his nose. He was still able to breathe, but it was obvious that he wasn't permitted to speak.

He could hear the one crate being moved. "Just take one from the top, I don't want anything to be damaged. It's already purchased," Kaetar heard the carriage driver mumbled.

"You sold blankets?"

"Yes... I'm taking them to inn at Toha. They have problems with blankets disappearing, and they need them replaced."

"Are they all blankets?"

"No, someone of them are pillows, cooking devices...the inn needed a lot."

"That sounds acceptable. You may pass."

The carriage began moving again a couple of minutes later, but no one breathed a sigh of relief. Darius brought hand up to his mouth, motioning for silence, then he removed his hand and let Kaetar take a deep breath in.

Everyone was awake except for Loiya, who was using Nicholas' lap as a pillow. Kaetar couldn't tell if that was intentional on Nicholas' part, or if Loiya was sleeping too deeply to notice that he was sleeping on Nicholas; either way, he was happy to see that Loiya was still sleeping.

"That was close," Nicholas mumbled quietly, moving Loiya's hair out of his face.

"What was that?" Kaetar asked, just as quietly.

"A check point. I realized that we would be pulled aside at some point, but I didn't think they had set up checkpoints where everyone would be checked this quickly," Syrin muttered. Kaetar was worried; it would seem that it would be difficult to find anyone that would actually be brave enough to fight against the Crimean soldiers. Their best choice would be an army from a different country, but everyone was to frightened about breaking the peace to participate.

Maybe that was why Syrin was complementing going to that new country. Perhaps he knew someone there that would help, but they were going to need more than one person to make a dent in the rebellion. Right now, they were simply outnumbered – skill could only take you so far when you have four people capable of battle. If someone fell, it would severely devastate the rebellion.

But the Greil Mercenaries did it. They were small, but they successfully managed to do a lot with the numbers they had and together with the Crimean army, though were the main force behind Crimea's liberation, even with Gallia and Begnion backing them up with what numbers they could muster. The biggest difference was that those mercenaries knew their business; they had been disposing of bandits and laughed in the face of danger their entire careers. The six person rebellion team where people who wanted to help, but only one person in their group had any experience with war, and that was Darius. Sure, Syrin knew everything, but Kaetar highly dount he was ever there.

"Are we going to get support from Toha?"

"Most likely, we'll get a boat since I plan to go to Grann, but we may have to fight our way to it," Syrin muttered. Kaetar could tell that this new arrangement changed his plans completely; he must have thought they had more time before security was tightened.

"Somehow, I had a feeling there would be another battle in Toha. They would go from caring nothing about their fellow comrades to caring too much. And Grann? We're going to Grann? Isn't that the country of Parentless? And a desert no less!" Ema asked, raising her voice. Darius smacked the back of her head.

"We're supposed to be nice to them."

"Either way, I plan on going alone. They rest of you can stay in Begnion for all I care," Syrin growled. "We don't need a racist sub-human to destroy any chance of getting more numbers for our cause."

Ema's ears flew back, and she got up to do something about Syrin, but Darius stood up, grabbed her ponytail, and forced her back down. 'Sub-human' was a term that Kaetar saw in old books, before beorc and laguz pushed the effort to get along, but he didn't know that beorc still used it – in a time where laguz and beorc could coexist in peace, there was simply no need for it. If either race was racist, he clearly had no idea that it was going on.

"You do realize that the only reason why he used that word is because you used the other word. Skrimir told you to be nice and not cause any problems," Darius whispered furiously.

"Who do you think you are? You're just a raven!"

"Just a raven? Once we get out of the carriage, I will show you which one of us is the superior fighter! In our weaker forms, because you'll complain about me flying!"

"Both of you stop it. You can solve your differences outside later, or I'll do it for you. I can still cast magic, and I know fire and wind magic rather well. _Don't test me_," Syrin growled.

The laguz instantly stopped. They didn't look at each other, but at least they stopped talking to each other. Loiya must have been very tired because he was somehow still asleep, and Nicholas did a good job of pretending that he didn't hear any of it. He was combing his fingers through Loiya's hair, like he was his mother of all people, and he seemed pretty content in filling that role for him – even if he didn't know he was doing just that.

The rest of the ride was uneventful, and next they knew, they were being unloaded yet again, just outside of Toha. As it turned out, there really was an inn that need the stuff in the crates, but Toha couldn't see six people jumping out of the carriage – that was way too suspicious. They would have to enter separately.

Kaetar couldn't help but to feel rather anxious. He would be going in alone, and since he had the gold, he would most likely be the one trying to buy their way into Begnion. Hopefully, there were pirates that would accept any job so long as the gold was right.

Syrin pulled him to the side. "You're probably the one that soldiers will not recognize immediately, so you need to enter first and get us a boat to Begnion. We'll be watching, so give us a gesture when it's safe," the leader mumbled.

Kaetar's vision flashed, making him moan. It wasn't the best time for a vision.

Kaetar began walking anyway – he had a place to go to, and a job to do. He managed to get into the village entrance, surprised that he wasn't stopped by soldiers or by the oncoming vision – but his luck quickly changed. He stumbled over his own feet, and fell to the ground, too dizzy to get up himself. He could hear voices, but Kaetar lost touch with reality before he could decipher them.

_He was surprised to see that the location didn't chance very much, much to his surprise. It looked like Toha, but it was missing some buildings – or actually, a lot of buildings. Soren was standing in the centre square beside a bag that Kaetar assumed carried some of his personal belongs. He seemed to be waiting, and for what, Kaetar didn't know._

"_Ranulf! Over here!" Ike shouted, waving in the air. Kaetar recognized that name, but the cloak made it hard to confirm if it was the same Ranulf. But then again, how many Ranulfs could there be?_

_A cloaked figure ran up to Ike. Soren turned his head to face them, but he had distanced himself from Ike and Ranulf. He was listening and watching, but that was all he seemed interested in doing at the moment. "Hoo! Things sure are heating up, aren't they?" he asked in a pant._

"_How are things on your end?" Ike asked._

"_Everything's set," Ranulf mumbled in response, keeping his hood where it was suppose it be. "All you need to do is sneak down to the harbor. You'll be met there by a man with a dusky pallor. His name is Nasir. Nasir is a man you can trust. I've explained your situation to him, and he's willing to help. If you can reach his ship safely, he'll take care of everything and deliver you to Begnion."_

Ah, there it was_, Kaetar thought. That's were the connection from history to his current situation came from. It was the struggle for a boat. But if this was the situation that Ema had described, then he knew this was going to end badly. Soren bit his lips and cursed under his breath while he looked from their current position to the harbour. There were Daein troops patrolling there._

_Of course Daein was there._

_The conversation faded. Soren kept his eyes on the troops, as if he was already calculating how to get around there. Kaetar was interested in their conversation, but Soren obviously didn't care as much, and must have chosen to filter it out for matters more important. Suddenly, his attention snapped back to Ranulf. He was on the ground, his hood falling off to reveal his aqua blue hair and ears, and another girl was on the ground nearby. She apologized, then let out a scream._

_Soren bit his lips again and took a step back. Their situation was already difficult; they had to reach the harbour without the Daeins knowing, but the Daeins were going to know now that the citizens were freaking out about the 'sub-human'._

"Are you alright?"

The vision melted suddenly – not that Kaetar expected any different, but he was always disappointed that they were cutoff before he knew how it ended. He was being shaken by calloused hands.

"He's coming to!" someone else shouted. The shaking ceased, and Kaetar finally had a chance to dissect his situation. His vision caused a scene. There was a small crowd gathered, and someone was holding him up from behind in a sitting up position, but they let him go, and he was allowed to sit up by himself. "Are you alright?" someone asked again. "You fainted suddenly."

"I'm fine... just need some... air," he mumbled. It was the truth – the people gathered around him made him feel like he was suffocating. Everyone backed away, and many left to go back to their daily lives. "Thank you," the prince mumbled as he stood up. Why was the recovery so inconsistent? The last time he had a vision that wasn't in a dream, he was up quickly! It was taking time to recovery from his most recent vision. They just couldn't be consistent – that was too convenient. Maybe it depended on how he was feeling before the vision occurred.

He looked behind to see who had caught him, and found himself face to face with a Crimean soldier. He could feel the colour drain from his face. "Are you sure you're alright?" they asked, jerking their head to the left. All Kaetar could see was some red hair that was in a ponytail, blue eyes, and a lance at their side.

"Fine."

"Where are you headed?"

"To Begnion. I was just passing through for sight-seeing," Kaetar mumbled.

"All by yourself? Aren't you worried about getting mugged or something?"

That thought never occurred to him, but he wasn't cared. So long as everyone could board the ship then that was all that mattered to him. It was Loiya's job to make sure that nothing happened. Kaetar simply shook his head. "I should travel with you then!"

"Don't you have to stay here?" Kaetar asked, his mouth going dry.

"Why? 'Cause of the rebellion? Let me tell you something – not all soldiers are out to get the rebels. In fact, some of them agree with those rebels," the soldier mumbled, removing their helmet. The soldier was, in fact, a woman. Kaetar couldn't tell from the armour, but he could hear it in her voice – as soon as he figured it out, at any rate.

Her hair was cut rather short in the front and on the sides – only going slightly past her jaw line – but the jagged edges told Kaetar that her hair wasn't always that short, and it was probably cut that way so she could fit it all into her helmet. The second option was that she tried to cut her hair on her own, and it ended badly. The rest of her hair was pulled into a thin ponytail. He couldn't see what her figure was at all under the white armour, but he could see that she had curves – the completely opposite from Ema. She was also tall for a woman – she was comparable to Nicholas and Darius.

"I take it you're one of them," Kaetar mumbled quietly.

"And I take it that you're already part of them by the way you're asking questions!" she laughed as she replaced her helmet. "Now do you feel better about taking me along?"

Kaetar merely nodded.

"Now, you said you needed to get to Begnion, right?"

"Yes. I have the money for a boat. It's finding someone to take wanted people out of Toha is the problem," Kaetar whispered. He could imagine Syrin lecturing him about keeping information like that to himself, but he had a feeling that he could trust this girl, whoever she was. In fact, they wouldn't have any problems at all, so long as they had a knight's permission to leave – or perhaps he was still thinking of the vision. Were they trapped to begin with?

"So you're not travelling alone?" she asked.

"No. We have to go in separately to avoid being caught. We…need a lot of help though. There are six of us, but only four know anything of combat. Or capable of it, that's another issue."

"Like I said, I don't agree with our orders, but I'll save that for later," she mumbled with a smile. "Oh! If we're going to be travelling together, then we should introduce ourselves. My name is Misha."

"My name is –" Kaetar was suddenly cut off by a hand covering his mouth. He was pulled toward its owner, and he could feel a blade being held at his throat. His back was pressed against armour, so he could only guess that he was captured by another soldier. Kaetar screamed out, but he was muffed by the gloved hand. He couldn't bite through it – it was too thick – and he couldn't struggle either, or he would kill himself by hitting the knife at his neck.

"Don't move rebel, or I'll bring you back dead," he warned.

"They're to be brought back alive," Misha growled. "You can't expect the dead to respond if you ask them a question!"

_'__This is bad_,' Kaetar thought to himself. So long as he was cooped up in this situation, then they would never get to Begnion. He had the gold necessary to get there with him. But most important, if he was recognized from behind, then not even he was safe. He didn't do any wrong, but by associating with the rebels, he would be labelled as an accomplice, and he would get in trouble for conspiring to do whatever the group did.

Kaetar could see another crowd gathering just out his peripheral vision. Two soldiers arguing, and a child held hostage – it had to be quite a scene. How did he always end up in the middle of a crowd? He could hear the crowd whispering, making his captor growl. "Look at that, Cameron," Misha taunted. "You're making the citizens doubt the motives of the Crimean military."

Kaetar could still feel the knife at his throat, and was suddenly struck with an idea. He could play the crowd up, so long as he could make himself cry. The prince just had to think of something sad enough that would actually made him sad, but when he got down to think about it, he realized it was going to be harder than he thought.

"He's a rebel! He was with the ones who killed those soldiers! I know! I was there when we searched the village! I was the only survivor! An eye for an eye… a life for a life," Cameron shouted, lowering the knife from the prince's throat to his belly. "Starting with this one… he might be a kid, but justice doesn't discriminate."

"Give him another chance!" someone shouted.

"Yeah! He's just a kid! Young people don't know what they're doing!" another shouted.

"C'mon! The rebels didn't actually hurt any of us common folk!"

Kaetar smiled. The crowd didn't need to be played up – they already hated the situation! In fact, it sounded like they were in support of the rebellion. If a soldier – someone who risked their lives to protect the citizens – was willing to hold a child hostage with a knife, then something was wrong, and the citizens knew that.

The begging from the crowd didn't seem to change Cameron's mind, however. The knife still hovered around his stomach, and he could feel it pressing against his skin. "May Ike have mercy on you," the soldier muttered into the prince's ear as he drove the knife into his belly. Kaetar only gasped as he pushed to the ground with the knife still in his belly. He managed to stumble a couple of steps forward, then fell to the ground with his hand to on the handle of the knife.

Kaetar was surprised that he wasn't in more pain. It was like he was in so much pain that he stopped processing it all, and it was starting to become numb. He was dizzy and nauseated. Everything was blurry, and it was difficult for him to focus on anything in the confusion.

He wasn't going to die, but Kaetar was sure that he would faint before he was aware of anyone that was trying to help him.

He was suddenly turned over, and the knife was torn from his belly. He was sure he screamed. He felt a new, fresh wave of pain, and he suddenly a lot warmer. Without the knife to keep the wound mostly closed, the bleeding was really starting to becoming heavier. It was a theory that he had read in one of his books about first aid during the wars, mostly how to keep the bleeding to a minimum to buy time for a healer to get to you. By keeping the knife in, it actually blocked most of the bleeding. Kaetar wouldn't have thought of it if he was actually trying to help himself instead of daydreaming, and while he couldn't see what was going on, he could certainly feel it.

The prince then felt the discomfort of the wound beginning to sew itself together. It was a strange feeling – there was the discomfort of it all, but the rest of his body felt warm, and he was relaxed enough to actually fall sleep. When the discomfort was gone, he could see Syrin handing a staff back into the crowd. The leader was gritting his teeth, but Kaetar couldn't tell if he was upset with the attention, in pain, or if it was some odd combination of the two.

"Are you alright?" Misha asked, moving the hair out of his eyes. He batted her hand away and sat up.

"If you're fine, you still have a job to complete," Syrin muttered as he massaged his left arm. Kaetar bit his lips. It was going to be a long day.

* * *

"You got stabbed? We leave you alone for a short while, and you not only recruited someone, but you also got stabbed? What the heck?!" Loiya asked as soon as they regrouped in the boat. Everyone aside from Darius was there, as he opted to fly to Begnion instead of getting sea sick.

Kaetar was lucky. There was a captain in the crowd that not only enjoyed a challenge, but he also took pity on the prince, especially after being stabbed, and they didn't have to fight their way into the boat. Instead, Kaetar felt that he had the support of Toha – he didn't know if Syrin ever found his representative, but he felt that Toha would abandon Ike as their God after they witnessed how the soldier named Cameron, stabbed a child in his name.

He no longer felt any pain from the incident earlier – and Loiya didn't seem to believe him – but he felt something that he believed to be called 'sea sickness'. He was lying down on the deck, lacking the knowledge and the strength to do anything else. Loiya was sitting beside him, this time taking on the lecturing role.

"I didn't see him, and he recognized me! Not from any posters or anything, I don't think, but he was at the one village," Kaetar mumbled, covering his face with his arm.

"The one that we had to flee because we had soldiers chasing us?" Loiya asked, clearly not amused.

"Yeah… there was a survivor, and he recognized me and decided… a life for a life," the prince answered.

"And… he just fled?"

"I suppose. I don't know what happened."

"Was the wound fatal?"

"Why do you think I know that? I knew I wasn't going to die because the town was busy, but I don't know what would have happened if I was away from everyone else. All I know is that it hurt a lot," Kaetar mumbled, his stomach twisting. He probably would have lost his breakfast if he ate anything.

"How is he doing?" Misha's voice asked. Kaetar didn't know when she got there, but she didn't mind at all. In fact, she would distract Loiya from his rambling.

"He's alright. He just needs to get used to being on a boat," Loiya answered.

"So... your name is?"

"I'm Loiya, and that's Kaetar. He's a Daein noble, and I'm his bodyguard." Kaetar decided to sit up so he could at least pay better attention to the conversation. Misha surprised him; she had taken off her armour, and just wore her black jumpsuit, which cut off just past her shoulders and above her knees, but she wore gloves and stocking to make up for the difference. She also had knee length leather boots. Her hair was pulled into a higher ponytail, and as rude as it was, Kaetar couldn't get over how well-developed her body was. Everything about her was big, including her height. She wasn't fat, just big. She weighed more, but she was also taller than Loiya.

"So that means you can use a weapon, right?"

"A lance," he answered simply.

"Can we spar, then? With broomsticks or something, of course. I just want to see where your skill level is," the female soldier dared with a grin. Loiya returned the grin. Kaetar could only recall the beating he received from a broomstick when he asked Loiya to train him to use a sword. The prince had to admit, he was definitely interested to see how a girl Misha's size could fight anyway. She had to be binding her chest to make sure that she could fit in the uniform.

Yes, it had to be interesting. Both of them disappeared below decks, and reappeared moments later with long sticks. Loiya was testing the weight in his hands, turning the stick in his hand and throwing it up in the air a couple of times. Kaetar couldn't tell if he was satisfied with the stick he got – he was used to heavier. Lances were heavy, at least by the prince's standard, and while Loiya could use a steel lance, like the one he brought on board and stashed somewhere, he had a favourite lance at home – a custom silver lance that was lighter than usual but still heavy than the average iron lance that Kaetar tried using.

Why didn't he bring it?

Kaetar brought his attention back to the duel. Misha's and Loiya's stances were similar, standing up straight with their knees slightly bent. Misha attacked first, bringing her stick up for a forceful jab at Loiya, but the bodyguard jumped back, evading the attack. She tried again, pivoting her body around for a second stab, but Loiya brought his own stick up to block it. "Damn, you're fast," she muttered.

He had to be fast. It was part of the job requirements; Loiya had to prove his skills by sparring with the Four Riders before he was hired. He didn't have to win, necessarily, but he definitely had to put up a good battle. If he was defeated quickly, then he wasn't worthy.

Misha circled him, and tried jabbing him once again, but Loiya deflected the blow with his stick, and managed to graze her side with his own. She growled and brought her stick up, but Loiya beat her; by the time her stick was in the air, he managed to leap up and knock her down with a forceful jab. The battle was over almost as quickly as it started.

"That would be fatal," he mumbled, poking her again.

"Fair enough. You win," she laughed. "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"My father taught me a lot of things, but I also train with the Daein military when I'm not busy with him," Loiya explained, jabbing a thumb back at Kaetar. Kaetar smirked.

"How old are you? And what's your class? You're definitely better than a typical soldier!" Misha mumbled, clearly astonished. It was Loiya's baby face that surprised her, Kaetar suspected. Loiya was growing, but his bodyguard – and the prince himself for that matter – didn't have the sharp jawline of a man. He still had the round face of a child, and that's what shocked most people. He looked too young to be fighting. He actually was too young by most standards, so his father did very well to train him and probably began training his son from an early age.

"I'm seventeen right now, and I'm a halberdier, isn't that right, my prince?"

"Syrin would kill you if he heard that!" Kaetar shouted.

"I would like to see him try, with his arm and all," Loiya laughed. Kaetar couldn't help but to laugh with him; the imagine of Syrin trying to hurt Loiya was kind of funny. Their leader was thin under the bulk of his clothes, and most importantly, he couldn't have any strain on his arm. It was a hassle to try and kill someone with that arm.

"You're truly a prince?" Misha asked, her face flat. Perhaps that was too much information too soon. She didn't seem to be able to process all of the information in her mind. She not only got beat by someone who was younger – and who was at a higher class than she was – but now she was being told that the boy she helped in Toha was a prince of a foreign land. He trusted Misha, and they needed more hands in the the group for sure, but she seemed fine not knowing that he was royalty. She helped because he needed help – and that's why she was a knight.

And that's why she was rebelling. It wasn't what she signed up for anymore.

Kaetar could only nod. There was an awkward silence that filled the space. Loiya was sitting down again, the stick beside him. Misha simply seemed stunned.

"Have you met Ema yet?" Kaetar asked suddenly. He just thought about it; Ema might be happier with another girl around. She was the only the female for a long time; she had no one to turn to if she had any girl problems.

"Ema? Is she the cat laguz? I saw her, but I haven't said anything to her yet," Misha answered, sitting down.

"You should change that. She's kind of grumpy, but she's the only girl and I think she's lonely. You two need to stick together," Kaetar muttered. Loiya merely nodded; he agreed, but he didn't elaborate. "Oh! And you need to meet Nicholas, too. He's the blonde mage, maybe you won't see the tome, but he's the only blonde one on the ship who isn't muscular. That's the ship crew and they're not rebelling with us, but Nicholas will make you feel welcome!"

Misha still looked lost. "Anyone else I should meet?"

"Did you see Syrin?"

"Black long hair?"

"Yeah!"

"He talked to me. He didn't give me is name, but he told me that my assistance was appreciated," Misha mumbled, lounging on the deck floor. It was good to see that she could relax herself in the group now, at least in front of Loiya and Kaetar. "He's not a people person, is he?"

"No. He's... locked up, I guess. He rarely ever talks about himself – his mind his focused on making the rebellion work," Kaetar mumbled, thinking about what Darius had said earlier about him. What exactly did Syrin have to do in order to be the leader of the rebellion?

And now that Kaetar thought about it, why did Syrin want to go to Grann alone? What difference did it make that he went, rather than himself or Loiya? Even Nicholas with his optimistic personality could have done well there, but instead, he chose to go all by himself. It was also a desert country; if he collapsed in the desert, no one would know he was there. It was simply dangerous.

Misha suddenly stood up. "I'm going to try to find Ema. You are right, you know. If we're the only girls, then we do need to at least meet each other!" she shouted. "Loiya, it was a pleasure to battle with you!"

Loiya returned the sentiment as she left, leaving them alone once more. "You're thinking again," he mumbledas Kaetar curle dup on the deck.

"I was just wondering... why would Syrin go to Grann alone? Wouldn't it be dangerous to go there all by yourself?"

"Grann is the branded country, correct?" Loiya asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, I believe so... that's what Ema said, anyway," Kaetar mumbled. "Maybe Syrin himself is a branded! Why else would anyone want to go there alone in order to recruit others? You can't send a laguz, because some of them are still stuck in old habits, and well, I guess beorc just don't understand."

"That makes a lot of sense, actually. If he is a branded, then it would make perfect sense for a branded to try and recruit other brandeds." Loiya clapped his hands together, then looked up into the sky. He squinted, as if he saw something abnormal, then shook his head.

"Did you see something?"

"I thought I saw a big bird, but I can't see it anymore. I wonder if I even saw it at all," Loiya answered. "A trick of the eye, perhaps?"

"How? You weren't staring at the sun or anything."

"I just don't see it anymore!" Loiya shouted.

"Calm down! Does it really matter rather you saw it or not? It's not like one bird will harm us."

"It might have friends!"

"We're nowhere near the bird territory!" Kaetar reasoned. He suddenly felt dizzy all over again from the rocking of the boat, and stomached twisted. Perhaps staying on the deck for small talk wasn't going to do him any good if he was still sensitive to the boat's rocking. He stood up, swaying on the spot, until Loiya firmly gripped his shoulders.

"Ready to go to bed?"

"Yeah. Maybe I'll feel it less below deck," Kaetar mumbled. Loiya didn't say anything, and instead guided the prince away from the deck.

* * *

Kaetar was woken by shouting. He opened his eyes and jumped out of the thin mattress that been his bed, and drew a thin blanket around his shoulders. It was a far cry from the lavish lifestyle he was used to in the past, but he becoming more and more accustomed to thin blankets and lumpy mattresses. Anything was better than sleeping on a rock, even if he had to sleep with a cat – a house cat, not a laguz – that had to fight back the mice infestation. The cat was adorable, he had to admit, and he even thought of getting one for himself to love and pamper.

The shouting came from above deck. Kaetar stayed on the stairs that led to the deck and flattened himself. He felt bad about eavesdropping, but how else would he learn? People weren't willing to tell him upfront, and for no reason other than pride. That was how he saw it at least.

"I can't see why you can't put up with it like Darius can," Syrin's voice growled.

"Darius doesn't like your kind either!" Ema shouted.

"But he can grin and bare it! He's older and more tolerant, and that rarely happens. You're just whining for the sake of whining, and I'm sick of it," Syrin continued. "If you have any respect for yourself, then you'll stay quiet."

"You say that like you have the power to defeat me," Ema hissed. "Any laguz could beat a parentless!"

"You say like strength is the only source of 'power'. I may not have much power anymore with the condition that my arm is in, but I have the next best thing; connections. King Skrimir would recognize me immediately, along with King Kurthnaga and King Tibarn. I even know Lethe and Ranulf, and judging by your tongue, I can only assume that Lethe was the one who trained you."

"...How?" Ema asked. She was no longer shouting. In fact, she almost sounded afraid. Eavesdropping only answered one question; Syrin was indeed, a branded, but the rest of their conversation raised more questions. How did Syrin come to know the royal laguz? They usually didn't have the time to speak with common folk; being on the throne usually did consume a lot of one's time. There was always something coming up, so how did Syrin manage to squeeze himself into their view? He didn't know who Lethe was, and Kaetar wasn't aware of what Ranulf's power exactly was, but he didn't dwell on it too much. He never heard very much about Ranulf, except that he was the laguz discovered in Toha and the fact that he was a cat laguz that everyone but Soren seemed to enjoy being around.

Kaetar just didn't get it, but he decided that he would go back to bed before he was discovered. Despite their shouting, they obviously hadn't meant for anyone else to listen. It was between Ema and Syrin, and that conversation was meant to diffuse any tension between them. Kaetar wasn't really aware that there was any tension – not until Syrin mentioned Grann, resulting in Ema's angry outburst.

The prince made himself comfortable in the bed, but he could not fall asleep. He could hear someone coming down the stairs, under the deck, but he closed his eyes, and pretended to be asleep. He could hear Syrin mumbling to himself under his breath. Ema came down not long after, and he could hear a door close silently and knew that Ema had left into a different part of the boat that she and Misha had decided was the women's room. No man, not even from the crew, dared to enter – mostly because no man wanted to get on a woman's bad side. Even Kaetar's father feared the wrath of his mother.

He kept silly thoughts like that in his head. There was no where else he could for now, not until he had enough light to write about it. He could use a candle, but that would risk waking the others up, and Syrin would definitely be suspicious – if he wasn't already.

* * *

_I was slow to update because of school, and the fact that I prefer to write rather than to edit and upload. I'm considering the idea of a beta to take care of it for me because I'm quite tired of it. _

_And to think I still have to fix typos mentioned in the last review. I will get to it. *cough*_


	12. New Experience

Kaetar must have somehow fallen asleep, as he was woken up again by more shouting – not angry shouting, but fearful shouting. Kaetar immediately ran above deck and was struck with powerful winds and rain. He almost ducked back under the safety the deck but there was something simply thrilling about being in the middle of a storm. For one, he never imagined that it could ever rain so much and he never imagined that the raindrops could hurt so much. The wind chilled him to the bone and within seconds, he was a wet, shivering mess of a beorc.

"KAETAR! GO BACK DOWN!" he could hear Loiya scream. He didn't know how Loiya could see him, because he couldn't see Loiya through the rain.

He respected Loiya, he really did, but he was really interested in the storm. Would he ever see one like it again? Would he ever be in the middle of one again? He climbed onto the deck and the boat tipped dangerously when a large wave hit in the side. The entire boat shook as water poured in from the side of the boat, soaking Kaetar's pant legs. "You idiot!" He looked behind and found Syrin, holding the hatch with his good arm but left his face vulnerable to the storm. "Get back under the deck or you'll be thrown off! Every man up here is risking his life to keep this boat safe for you!"

Kaetar respected Syrin also. He didn't need a third person to tell him to come down. He made his way back to Syrin. Another wave hit the boat, allowing water to flood into the deck once again. This wave was worse than the last – it knocked Kaetar off his feet and with the wet deck floor, he couldn't regain his balance. The strength of the wave also made the boat tip and before Kaetar knew it, he was sliding towards the edge. He hit the edge, which was tall enough to catch him. He scrambled back to his feet, gripping the edge with dear life. The deck hatched opened once more but Kaetar struggled to force himself to take one step forward away from the edge and towards the safety of the hatch.

Everyone struggled for the safety now. He could hear Loiya shouting and where Kaetar was, he could see him more clearly. He was in tangled up in several ropes that controlled the sails. He was holding on for his life and he his eyes constantly went back to the hatch. The crew stayed on deck but he and Loiya were the ones from the group that were stupid enough to come up – well, stupid on his part. It was in Loiya's nature to do all he could; he could not sit very well when he knew that there was something wrong and he could help fix it.

Kaetar however, was just being stubborn and curious. He regretted it. His father once said that his curiosity could get him into serious trouble, but he never treated those words like a warning.

_Idiot, idiot, idiot!_

But before he knew it, he was slipping again. He made a dash for the hatch but the boat was lifted by a wave and by the time the boat came crashing downwards where it was no longer supported by the wave, he was shoved back to the edge. It didn't catch him like it did last time. He only had the edge to hold onto and considering that it was flat and wet, it wasn't very good support. He screamed the loudest he's ever screamed.

_This is what father meant._

He realized he hit the water. He managed to bring his head up only to be pulled down again. It was hard to breath. He coughed but only found to be swallowing water instead, which made him only cough more to start the vicious cycle again.

And suddenly, he was in the air. He felt like he was flying and he could feel something cutting into his shoulders. He looked up to see a black blob carrying him and with a smile, he blacked out.

* * *

Kaetar woke up when the sky was clear and no signs of the storm that knocked him over existed. It hurt to breathe, his shoulders hurt, and it was the pain that made him realize that he had not drowned in the ocean like he thought he would. He was far from fine, but he was alive. It made laugh with twisted joy but his body had no tolerance for it – he coughed water up and his entire body writhed in pain. He shivered despite being in the sun and he was covered in sand that he just couldn't brush off on the account of wet hands.

Beside him, he could hear heavy panting. There were black feathers everywhere and dark blue hair that freed itself from a blue ribbon was sprawled everywhere, tangled with twigs. Kaetar was surprised. The last person he thought would be there to rescue him from the water was Darius – yet there he was, and he was in even worse shape than he was. He was still unconscious, despite the visible chills that ran through his body. One of his wings was bent out of its normal position and Kaetar suspected that he must have broken it.

Kaetar dragged himself to his feet and pulled one of Darius' arms around his shoulder. He could barely lift the raven of the ground but the raven's weight on one shoulder was enough to make the prince fall flat on his butt. It wasn't going to work.

He took off his shirt and rolled his pant legs up. He even pulled off Darius' jacket, which was the heaviest thing on the shore. The jacket was heavy to begin with but now that it was thoroughly soaked, it weighed twice as much as before. With the wet shirt off his back, he could really begin to feel the sun's warmth on his back but it didn't stop own shivering. It was the most the prince could do was to warm his body and try to prevent illness that came from being cold and wet.

There were two things that he was concerned about, once he pushed their wellbeing out of his mind. Where were they? And how did Darius find him and pull him from the water? He felt bad that he put himself in a position where Darius of all people had to bail him out, not to mention that Loiya would not be handling the situation well. How was Loiya supposed to know that he survived? And how would Loiya explain that to his father? He did it to himself?

His curiosity would be the end of someone if it didn't kill him.

Darius was stirring next to him. He moaned and then lifted his head out of the sand. He smiled at Kaetar, mumbled something inaudible under his breath, and laughed.

"How are you feeling?" Kaetar asked.

"I'm not the one who should be answering that... I'm sure I look terrible," Darius chuckled and turned on his side. He grimaced in pain but he managed to get himself into a position where conversation didn't seem to require very much energy on his part. He could look at Kaetar without needing to hold his head up.

"You hurt my shoulders a bit, but I'd rather be alive with injuries than not alive at all," Kaetar mumbled, looking down at the long scratches that covered his shoulders. They were closed and already scabbed over; they were long but not deep. They didn't hurt that much, so long as he kept still. Darius chuckled again.

"Sorry, I didn't want to risk letting you go," Darius mumbled. "I got worried about everyone and decided to fly out to meet you. It's not like you would have gotten far anyway..."

"So, we're still in Crimea?" They didn't sail for long. He lost track of how long they've sailed for but he guess it couldn't have been more than two days. Of course they were still in Crimean waters! And Darius' story made sense; he must have been the bird that Loiya saw earlier, except why would he fly away? Did he not want stay with them?

"Exactly... in a Crimean beach... I would have dropped you off the boat, but you probably would have fallen off again... what were you doing out there?"

"I was just curious is all... I never been out in a storm before and I wanted to see how it was. My father never let me out if the wind was bad enough. And now Loiya thinks I'm dead," Kaetar mumbled with a frown.

"Cheer up... as soon as I'm feeling better, we'll go out and find that boat." Darius offered a warm smile.

"Isn't your wing broken?" Kaetar asked, making the raven frown.

Darius grunted as he sat up, and tried to look back at his wing. His right wing was still on the ground, while his left wing followed the movements of his body. The raven flexed his good wing, and then folded it against his body, yet the right wing didn't move. "Yes... it's broken. Do you plan on using your shirt?"

Kaetar looked down at his shirt, which was still in a pile in the sand. He had another one on the ship, so he could part with this one. He picked it up and shook the sand off. "Do you want me to tear it up? You might want it to dry first though..."

"It doesn't need to be dry. Just pass it to me," the raven mumbled as Kaetar passed him the shirt. He torn it into long strands and made a pile in his lap. Darius seemed to be relatively unharmed, aside from his wing. If anything, the raven was in pain probably because he was sore – but he would be sore too if he flew through a storm. "Come here," he mumbled as he lifted the torn strands.

"Can you help me get my shirt off?" the raven asked as he began undoing his belt. Kaetar pulled the tunic over his head and then away from his wings. He didn't have any more layers aside from his pants and boots. He gave Kaetar the long strands of what was once his shirt. Kaetar tied them together into one long strand.

"And how do I fix your wing?"

"Move it into its natural position, then wrap it so it's against my back and the shirt is around my chest," Darius mumbled. He sounded like an expert – if he was in the war like he said so, then he probably did have a broken wing here and there. He might be already used to it. Kaetar did as he told. He gingerly lifted the wing with his fingers and began easing against the raven's back. Darius hissed in pain, but he continued to move the wing despite the pain he knew he was causing. If Darius couldn't get through it, then the wing would never get better!

When he was finished wrapping, Darius was panting but he was visibly relaxed. It was the most he had ever done in terms of nursing and treating someone – they had nurses at the castle to take care the scratched and bumps, or the more serious injuries from the military. It was the experiences such as taking care of Darius' wing that made him feel like he was growing up. He wasn't the same boy that left – sure he was still curious, and Syrin would still think he was an idiot, but he got his hands dirty and saw things he never saw before. He knew that he couldn't trust people the same way he did, and he changed his priorities.

Before he left the castle, Kaetar was focused on his own agenda. His biggest problem was that he didn't want to be a King and he hated his father for trying to teach him how to be one. That meant less visible love – as Kaetar didn't doubt that his father loved him – and being strict with the prince. In hind sight, Kaetar could see how it was important as Syrin berated him for his naiveté and his inability to make decisions that involved a little bit of risk, such as the burning of the chapel.

He felt like talking about it – he should be proud for changing, even if it was just for a bit, but the only other person with him was Darius, and Kaetar didn't know how well he could take heavy conversation. He talked out of necessity earlier, but he looked like he was going to fall asleep, and Kaetar was going to let him. He didn't want to keep him awake when he should be resting and recovering, and that also spoke true for the prince himself. He also had injuries which were not tended too. The most he could think of was to wash his shoulders, but he didn't know if the ocean water was clean and he knew that the water had salt. He decided not to risk it. He wounds seemed closed anyway; he doubted water would help.

In the end, he and Darius turn the raven's jacket into a pillow, and slept together side by side. Neither of them wanted their head in the sand, but both of them needed the sleep. Darius had to sleep on his chest, but Kaetar wondered if he didn't do that all the time already. How did a bird laguz sleep with their wings on their back? Wouldn't the wings be uncomfortable? And how did Ema sleep with her tail?

Kaetar just couldn't sleep, however. He took his head off their 'pillow' and then went around to Darius' head. He found the ribbon in the sand, and then began to work to remove the tangles and the twigs in the raven's hair. The raven, if he could help it, wouldn't be caught dead with his hair in a mess. He was probably too weak from before to care about his hair, but eventually he would be in obsessing about. Darius cared a lot about his hair.

His hair was more matted and tangled than Kaetar thought. Removing the twigs was easy enough, but when it came to trying to untangle the knots, he realized that it was very hard to do it while trying to be gentle with it. He didn't want to wake the sleeping raven at all. When the majority of the tangles had been removed, Kaetar was tired enough to fall asleep.

* * *

When he woke up again, Darius was combing through his own hair with his fingers and grimacing in pain or frustration when his fingers stopped in his hair. The air was still warm and the sun was still out, though it wouldn't be too long before it would begin to set. "There you are... we should get going and try to find shelter. My jacket still isn't dry, so we need to find a warm place if we're going to make through the night," the raven muttered, standing up. Kaetar followed him into the wooded area, carrying the raven's clothing. Both of them were still shirtless, their clothes and hair still damp, and their chests were still covered in sand.

"Awh, this is all my fault!" Kaetar exclaimed. "If I didn't go out there, and we wouldn't be here trying to find shelter and your wing wouldn't be broken."

"We can't change what happened. All you can do is learn from your mistake for next time, right?" Darius asked with a smile.

"Yeah, I know not to go out in a middle of a storm now," Kaetar mumbled, looking ahead. He could already see the tree line, and he could also see a house on the other side in the clearing. For a moment, he thought he was seeing things. It was the sun or the lack of food and water. However, Darius was staring in the same direction, his blue eyes fixated on the house. "Do you see it too?"

"I see it… unless we're both going crazy from the lack of food. When did you last eat anyway?"

"Far too long ago. I didn't eat in Toha, or on the boat, or before Toha..." Kaetar mumbled in response. He wasn't feeling that bad at all actually. He hadn't eaten in almost two days, and he was only hungry now that he thought about it.

That suddenly made him very hungry.

"You need some food now then."

Kaetar merely nodded. They couldn't reach the house fast enough. Darius was the brave one who offered to knock on the door. It would be something that Kaetar wouldn't have minded doing, but his hunger made him feel nauseated and he didn't feel like talking. Why did he feel like this only after Darius mentioned food? Did he really just ignore it until now?

Someone came to the door, and he could hear Darius talking to them but at the moment Kaetar was only thinking about his own needs at the moment; especially now that Darius' wing was taken care of the best of their ability. "Kaetar, c'mon, they're letting us in," Darius said to him, gently shaking him. "Sorry, he hasn't eaten in a while."

Kaetar immediately smelled fresh bread as soon as he came into the house. "No, it is fine. We had people coming here with worse. I have not seen a broken wing though," the stranger mumbled, passing some of the bread to Kaetar. He felt nauseated looking at it, and he wasn't sure he could force it into his stomach, which surely shrunk in size. The prince took a bite and seated himself in a chair. He didn't want to rush anything.

Now that he had something in his stomach, he was able to think more clearly. Someone had welcomed them into their home and by the sounds of it, they weren't they only ones who came from the beach and wandered to their home all because of a storm. This person, who was a friendly, male tiger laguz according to Darius, was used to the story, and built additions to his cozy home to accommodate the fact that people always come to him. It was a kind thing for him to do, Kaetar thought.

"My name is Rykuu," the tiger started, holding out a large hand. He had blonde hair and ears, and he dressed quite casually – a red shirt and tan pants. He was tanned like Ema was and his hair was tied into a braid.

"Kaetar," the prince answered, taking his hand. He felt the tiger rattling his entire body when they 'shook hands' and he turned and offered the same to the raven.

"Darius," the raven muttered as he took his hand. He fared better than Kaetar did, despite the broken wing. He was stronger than Kaetar was and it was as simple as that.

"And that is Soren," Rykuu mumbled, as he pointed into the kitchen. There was a small teen with shirt, red hair and green eyes. He didn't speak, and shied away from view. "He baked the bread. He is very shy. He only speaks to me."

Kaetar thought it was funny that he shared a name with one of the greatest tacticians that Tellius knew – perhaps it was intentional? How common of a name is Soren, anyway? And there was a Soren, then how many Ikes were running around?

"Where does he come from?"

"Melior... his parents died in a conflict with the army."

"A conflict?"

"They did not support the new religion. It is law now. You have no choice but to believe in Ike the God. He was just a beorc. He was never a God," the tiger responded.

"So his parents voiced their opinions and were killed for it. Unfortunate," Darius mumbled. The tiger merely nodded.

"It makes it hard for laguz to live in Crimea. That is why I live out here, where no one can see me. Laguz know better... many knew Ike in person. Many fought alongside him. They have to go against better judgement and pretend to know nothing for peace. I am sorry, I talked more than I meant. You need bandages for your wing," the tiger mumbled, as he began to shift through different draws. Finally, he pulled out a roll of gauze and tossed it to Kaetar.

"Should we take off the remains of my shirt first, or just pile it on top?" Kaetar asked with a smirk.

"Take your shirt off, I'll be fine," he mumbled. Kaetar untied the shirt and let the long strands fall off. He then proceeded to wrap the new roll of gauze around his chest and wing and managed to get down all the way to the middle of his chest before he ran out of gauze.

"Feel better?" Kaetar asked.

"Lots! It's harder to move this thing, now," the raven grinned. That meant he did a good job. There wasn't much shirt to work with before and while he did the best he could do, the shirt just wasn't going to hold. On the other hand, the bandages were meant to hold and it would secure the wing until it could heal.

"How long will you be here?"

"My wing should heal in about a week," Darius answered. "Hey, does Soren have an extra shirt for Kaetar? They're about the same size."

Apparently, there was a shirt. It was a plain black shirt, given to him directly by Soren. He was frowning and judging by the look on his face, he wasn't too eager to let the shirt go; Kaetar wasn't too eager to take it from him if he couldn't let it go. In the end, the timid teen let the shirt go into Kaetar's hands and scurried off into the kitchen. Rykuu was right – he was shy.

Was he scared to speak because speaking out was what killed his parents?

Kaetar put the shirt on and glanced over at Darius. The raven would have to remain shirtless – it would injure him further if they tried to wrestle a shirt on him. Either way, Kaetar was thankful for a new shirt, food, and shelter.

* * *

Kaetar fell asleep in one of the guest room – built later into the house for travelers, Rykuu told him – after he stuffed himself with food. He never ate so much in one sitting before, but then again, he didn't ever starve himself for long. He didn't intentionally starve himself – he just never found the opportunity to eat in the last couple of days. It either disgusted him too much or he just felt too sick to eat and he would have just lost it anyway.

He was woken up by someone shaking him. When his vision focused to the dark, he could see Soren's red hair. He shook him again. "I'm awake! What do you need?" he asked. Soren merely looked at them and then motioned to follow him with his hand. Kaetar shrugged and slipped out of bed. He put his boots on and trudged after the shy boy. He didn't know where he was taking him, but he was definitely curious. Why would the shiest person he ever met want to meet him somewhere out of his own free will?

Eventually, Soren lead the prince outside. The sky was dark and if it wasn't for the moon, the prince wouldn't have been to see at all. He disappeared briefly, but he came back with a bow and arrow, along with a basket. He placed a basket under a tree, which Kaetar realized was full of red fruit. Soren stood back, loaded the arrow and fired. The arrow hit the stem and the fruit fell into the basket at the bottom. He smirked at Kaetar. "That was amazing," the prince mumbled.

Soren nodded.

"Do you collect fruit all the time like this?" Kaetar asked. Communication was not out of the question with him, so long as the prince asked 'yes' or 'no' questions – he could nod or shake his head and he had no problem doing that.

Instead he shrugged.

"When they're in season?"

A nod.

"Did your father teach you the bow?"

The boy shook his head.

"Your mother then?"

Another nod. Soren then shoved the bow into his hand and offered an arrow. Now Kaetar was more confused than before; what was the real reason for the boy bringing him out here? To play with his bow and arrow? To show off? There had to be something more to this, but so long as Soren remained quiet, he would never find that reason. Instead, he had to try to interpret his actions.

Soren must have wanted him to try it or Soren must have wanted to see if Kaetar knew how to use it. The prince had seen the archer stance more than once and it was mostly when he followed his father to see how the new recruits were doing in their training. Kaetar liked being at the base, which wasn't far from the castle and went whenever his father went. He would watch them fire their arrows at targets, but watching someone do something was completely different than doing it himself, that he knew.

"I don't know how," Kaetar responded. Soren didn't take his bow back and actually offered a second arrow. He wanted him to try it – that much was clear now. Kaetar assumed the position that he watched other archers stand in and then he was lost. He managed to knock the bow, but when he fired, he could feel the string smack his arm and he instinctively dropped the bow with a shout.

Soren frowned, but remained quiet as Kaetar inspected his arm. It was red at the site but it wasn't bleeding. He almost wanted to see blood even if it made him queasy; blood almost justified the pain in his arm. "That's enough of that for tonight," the prince mumbled, walking back towards the house. Soren scooped his bow up and followed him in. Darius watched and jerked his head to the right. His bed had been moved to the main room, under the window and against the wall. The raven was sitting up, leaning against the wall, completely surround by his blankets. He looked comfortable, to say in the least – but that was good! The more comfortable he was, the better he would feel.

"Where did you go?"

"Outside with Soren. Is there something cold here? My arm hurts."

Darius raised an eyebrow. "What were you doing out there?"

"I tried a bow and arrow for the first time and it hit my arm, and it really hurts! Ah! It's bruising!" Kaetar mumbled as he stared down at his own arm. His arm was going from red to a soft purple colour already.

"I didn't know you were interested in the bow," Darius mumbled, grabbing his pillow.

"I'm still exploring. If I can do magic I might choose that but either way, I want to be able to do more than contribute finances to the group," Kaetar answered with a yawn. He was tired, but he wasn't sure if he would be able to fall asleep, not with his arm turning purple.

"The finances are really important though! Just don't point that bow at me," the bird smirked. Kaetar was confused; why would Darius ever be afraid of an arrow? He seemed to understand his confusion, but before he could say anything, Rykuu walked into the room.

"It is because arrows hurt one of the bird tribe hurt more than a sword will... unless it is that special sword," he growled.

Kaetar knew what the special sword was. It was a Laguzslayer, a blade especially designed to cut into the flesh of a laguz. They were red and twisted – they never did really look like the type of weapon that they were supposed to be. They were eventually outlawed in Crimea, and Daein was working to outlaw them now as well, as their laguz population was beginning to rise. If it wasn't for his father discussing it in his presence, then he would have never known about these weapons and he only shoot

"I know those," the prince mumbled, just so the tiger didn't have to waste his breath.

"I don't care if you use the bow though," the raven shrugged.

The tiger disappeared momentarily and began shifting through his draws again. Once he came back, he put an orange pendant into the raven's hands. Darius gasped. "I haven't seen these things since the Mad King's war! It's real treasure, you should keep it. I'll be fine, I'm a good raven!"

"What is it?"

"It's called a berocguard… it protects us, but it's a long story," Darius explained. "That means it won't hurt too much if you accidentally shoot me! Ema would be jealous, but it would just be better if she didn't know that these things are still around."

"Hmm… who is Ema?"

"She's one of our friends. A cat laguz to be more precise," the raven answered, tossing the pendent back to the tiger. Rykuu shook his head and then shrugged as he placed it back into the drawer.

"Hrm… we of the beast tribe do not have to worry about simple bows like you do. Fire magic is troubling," Rykuu mumbled, shifting back into the conversation of weaknesses.

"So… if someone shot you with a Laguz Bow… would that instantly kill you?"

Darius seemed surprised, and then he laughed. "I know you're curious and all, but there are something that people don't feel like answering. I don't even want to think about it."

Kaetar shrugged; he wouldn't force Darius to answer a hypothetical question anyway. Rykuu looked down at him, and patted his back. "You look tired. You should go back to bed. I will be making sure that Soren goes to bed as well."

"Just one more question – is Soren named after Ike's tactician?"

"I do not know. You will have to ask him yourself," the tiger answered. Kaetar decided to leave it at that, and he climbed into his borrowed bed.

* * *

A week passed quickly. Every day, Kaetar woke up, ate, and then practiced with the bow until lunch. Then he took some time to sit down, think, or simply talk to anyone who felt like listening. Soren spoke a little – he had a high pitched voice that Kaetar didn't expect. He only spoke to give more detail instructions to Kaetar, ones that he couldn't describe with gestures. For instance, the prince had no idea that gripping the bow tightly actually affect his aim until Soren finally spoke and corrected him. Kaetar wasn't sure if it was because Soren was frustrated enough to speak or if he was warming up to Kaetar and he was comfortable enough to speak, just like he spoke to Rykuu.

The prince was starting to get used to the bow. He could always use more practice, but he was no longer missing all the time – he hit about a quarter of all targets. It was pathetic by military standards and if he was in the military he would no longer be in the military, but Kaetar couldn't deny that he was proud of himself. He thought that he was stuck with magic simply because his strength was not up to par to use anything else, but now he could feel the soreness in his arms that came from strain of using them. Kaetar could eventually have some muscle tone – or in the very least, his arms wouldn't look like mere sticks. It was something that he was looking forward to. He wanted to badly show everyone how he was coming along.

Even Darius seemed impressed. For the most part, Darius spent the week on his bed and rarely ever came out. When he did however, he watched with a grin that stretched from one ear to the other and clapped loudly when Kaetar hit one his targets. If Kaetar was to be stuck with anyone else, he was glad that it was Darius. He could only imagine being stuck somewhere has critical as Syrin, as irritable as Ema, or 'Serious Loiya', though he wouldn't mind being with Nicholas. The raven and the mage were easily the most cheerful people in the group and could make any situation better with their personalities. He wasn't sure about Misha, however. Nothing really struck personality wise to him yet, but he only knew her for about a day before he went out in the storm.

When the week passed, Darius left the house when Kaetar was practicing. The prince didn't make anything of it – he was so used to living in the home now that he lost track of time and didn't realize that it was time for Darius to test his wing out. "Hey Kaetar! Can you help me get the bandages off? We need to catch a boat before Loiya decides to follow you into the ocean!"

Kaetar dropped his bow and ran to the raven. Darius had everything he couldn't wear with him, including his ribbon, and he was unfolding his clothes as Kaetar unraveled the bandages. He was careful not to tear them – if his wing was still broken then it would be handy to keep them.

That proved to be unnecessary. As soon as the raven had the room to spread his wings, he took off. It was weird to watch him fly in his human form; he typically walked, and when he did fly, it always seemed to be in his laguz form. He did fly when he was carrying Loiya out of the forest, but that didn't make it any less weird now.

Soren simply stared. He looked mesmerized by Darius' tight circles and he didn't seem to snap out of it until the raven landed on the ground with an excited shout. "You're leaving," the shy boy mumbled. It surprised Kaetar when he spoke, simply because he never expected it.

"We have to find our friends. They think I'm dead and I need to clear that up. Do you understand?"

Darius was busying himself with his putting his clothes on. It must have felt great to put any article of clothing back on after a week of wearing pants and bandages.

Soren nodded.

"Oh, I have been meaning to ask you something! Are you named after-"

"Yes… after the _great one's_ tactician," the boy answered in a dark tone.

Was he blaming Ike for the death of his parents? After all, if Ike wasn't forced on everyone, then Soren would still be with his parents. For a moment, Kaetar couldn't blame Soren for putting _someone_ at fault – but at the same time, Ike didn't ask for any of it. Ike didn't strike Kaetar as one who needed to be better than other people in order for him to feel satisfied with himself. The prince wanted to say something but he didn't know what Soren's boundaries were – was it alright to talk about his parents? Was it alright to bring up a different perspective? Kaetar somehow gained a bit of favour with Soren and he wasn't ready to test the waters and risk that relationship.

"I heard shouting. Are you leaving now?"

"Yeah, we have a boat to catch! Rykuu, when I transform, can you put Kaetar on my back?"

"Won't you get tired?"

"I'll be fine, don't worry," Darius mumbled. Yes, he was definitely hiding something from Kaetar – again. Did people just not trust him?

"Wait... Kaetar..." the boy mumbled suddenly.

"What is it?" Kaetar asked.

"Keep this and promise you'll come back one day," Soren muttered, handing him a bow and some arrows. It was different from the bow that he had practiced with. The bow in his hands looks brand new.

"He made it himself. Take care of it," Rykuu mumbled.

"Soren... I'll definitely come back," Kaetar answered with a nod. Rykuu lifted him up, and Kaetar waved to the tiger and his quiet boy as Darius fly away.

* * *

_I don't have any_ new_ excuses for not uploading in a while, but I am in fact alive. It's just busy. _

_Anyway, as far as research goes, I tried my best. I looked up how to take care of a birds wings tips on shooting an arrow while trying to stay away from the fancy new... mechanical bows? I did this research a while ago, so if there are professionals out there, feel free to correct me. As for a week for Darius' wing, feel free to comment if that too fast or slow. Laguz do heal faster, but the time frame never seems to be specified._

_As always, please review! Don't worry too much about hurting my feeling; if I cared too much about what others think I wouldn't have posted. I read all of my reviews and I take all critiques into consideration. _


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